


More Than Just An Alliance

by Eileithyia_ya



Series: More Than Just An Alliance [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Light Dom/sub, Love, Oral Sex, Sexual Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-02-08 21:24:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1956657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eileithyia_ya/pseuds/Eileithyia_ya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trafalgar Law is a slightly changed man after achieving his revenge for Corazon. Law must now learn to live for himself, and learn how to deal with his alliance to the Strawhat crew, and their navigator. This is definitely a mature fic'. Rated M for a good reason!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Awakening of Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own One Piece, Oda Eiichiro does.

* * *

After the downfall of Doflamingo, and the liberation of Dressrosa, both the Strawhats and Heart pirates recuperated on the isle of Zou.

Trafalgar Law had awoken for the first time yesterday after their alliance's ordeal. To his annoyance, the attending doctor had insisted that he was not to be moved for a few more days. The Surgeon of Death wanted nothing more than to be comfortable in his own quarters, on-board his own ship, and with some peace and quiet. Instead, he was bed ridden in the infirmary on-board The Thousand Sunny.

He was regularly woken by cries of "Marimo Bastard", "Idiot Swordsman", "Dartboard Eyebrow" and "Idiot Love Cook". These shouts didn't compare to the annoyance he felt when he heard the pitter-patter of sea grass sandals approaching. The heartfelt laughter, and exuberance, of that individual were hard to deal with at the best of times, never mind when he was in pain and couldn't escape! The Dark Doctor had pretended to be asleep on the four occasions Luffy had visited him on the previous day.

It wasn't that he hated the fellow Captain. More that he was annoyed with himself for how close he'd gotten to the Strawhat crew. Law had told Luffy about his tragic past, letting him in far closer than he'd let anyone before. Trafalgar Law had also fallen into their laid back pace, often having to purposely keep himself focused.

The lack of want for information displayed by Luffy, and his non-existent attention span had initially infuriated Law. It wasn't that the Strawhat Captain was negatively apathetic, more that the term 'ignorance is bliss' was never so appropriate than it was for describing Luffy. Though, the more time they spent together, the more Law accepted it, and the less it bothered him.

Being a pirate was never meant to be fun though. It was about fame, fear, fortune, freedom ... but not fun. The Strawhats enforced life and laughter into everything, and onto all they came into contact with. Well, except their enemies. The Heart Captain didn't like to feel unfocused. He was an intelligent and cunning man, always thinking three steps ahead, and to suddenly stop and appreciate life in the present moment was an alien feeling, and concept for him. He had been planning his vengeance against Doflamingo for thirteen years, and for a few lapse moments with the Strawhats his focus had wavered.

As much as Trafalgar Law liked to cause chaos, he definitely did not like the internal chaos that the alliance had brought. With his revenge accomplished, how easily would he fall back into that carefree pace that Luffy unconsciously emitted? There was also the matter of the other man's navigator. Everything to do with that woman was affecting his decision making.

He shut his eyes for a moment to remember Nami the last time he'd seen her. Long legs. Shorts that definitely could have been shorter. Midriff exposed, showing off her hourglass figure. Her bikini top ... which left nothing to the imagination. "Fuck!" he sighed. Law had been so focused on his revenge recently that the length of his sexual abstinence was longer that he cared to remember. The frustration she ignited within him made him want to live up to his dark reputation he had acquired. He wouldn't though. There was no satisfaction to be had from taking an unwilling woman. He would much rather see her riding him wantonly.

In their last moments together he remembered how scared she had looked, and how much he had wanted to just pull her close and console her. He knew it would have been weird and unwanted, so he refrained from such affections. Those thoughts bothered him more than the idea of ravishing her against her will. Why would he want to comfort her? Why had her distress bothered him? The thumping headache he was developing helped him to decide not to ponder on the matter for the moment.

"I definitely need some direction," Law anguished, as he remembered how seductive her scent was, and he didn't even especially like mikans."Kaido?" he wondered.

The Surgeon of Death knew he would have to keep a close proximity to the Strawhats if they were to continue working together to bring down one of the Yonkou. He also knew they would get derailed from whatever ingenious plan he could concoct.

Would taking down Kaido ultimately be enough of a distraction? Or would the Strawhats, and their navigator, just be a distraction? He truly wasn't sure if it was worth the endeavour or not. He really didn't want to be that involved with the boisterous crew.

That was another thing that annoyed The Heart Captain: Luffy's tenacity. Despite telling the man that their alliance was over, he stubbornly decided that it was not, and that Law could not decide things like that on his own. He was ultimately grateful to the straw hat wearer but it seems that no matter what, in one way or another, Trafalgar Law would never be rid of Monkey D. Luffy.

"'Til death do us part." the Heart Captain jokingly agonised.

He heard Luffy talking with Chopper out on deck. It sounded as though they were coming his way, so Law decided it was time again to pretend to be resting. He shut his eyes, and then did actually doze off.

* * *

The Surgeon of Death was roused from his slumber as he felt cool hands placed upon his chest.

"Nami-ya?" He groaned, as he looked up to the left at the woman tending to him. He thought he was dreaming at first as there's usually a wall to his left hand side.

"Stay still, Law!" Chopper demanded as he rushed back to his bedside. "We're just changing your dressings."

The wounded man felt a terrible dull ache in his chest and back. He needed to stretch. Law filled his lungs with air, as much as he could, before a sharp pain erupted in his chest, right through his heart. He exhaled quickly, his right hand rushing to the effected area. He squeezed his eyes shut in agony.

"Are you okay?" the reindeer asked. "You're wounds are extensive, and deep. It might be better if I sedate you for another week or so."

"No!" Law spat through gritted teeth. The pain just starting to subside.

He kept his eyes shut for a few more moments, then slowly became aware of the fingers trapped by his actions. 'Nami-ya' he thought to himself, quickly remembering how he'd wanted her hands on him since she framed him for cheating during their poker game. He had a small urge to completely take her hand in his, but he fought the compulsion well, and relinquished the amount of pressure he was applying on her hand. He then resorted to taking a few fairly deep breaths, knowing the expansion of his chest would cause slight friction between his hand and hers, and tried to take a small amount of pleasure from this seemly innocent act. 'Surgical gloves' he thought to himself, dismally. He wanted to feel her skin against his.

He then peered at Nami through one eye as he released her fingers completely. "Sorry." he told her in a low voice, moving his hand away as if he had only just noticed hers beneath his. She smiled at him quickly and removed her hand from his chest. Law closed his eyes again then, concentrating on the spot where her hand had been, and noticing how cold it felt without her touch.

The urge to stretch his chest again was quiet overbearing. This time though, he thought better than to fill his lungs to the extent that he did before. Law took a deep breath and lifted his shoulders a little off the bed. That did the trick.

He was pleased to see a slight look of worry on Nami's face from his movements. Perhaps she was expecting a repeat from a few moments ago?

The Surgeon of Death closed his eyes again to let Doctor Chopper and Nurse Nami redress his wounds. Though it wasn't a particularly hard task, Law still found that he was surprised by Nami's medical dexterity. He selfishly hoped that Tony-ya would have her assisting him again in the future.

Sleep found him again shortly after.

* * *

"Shut up, Bepo. The Captain is still asleep!" Is what woke Trafalgar Law from his rest. He lazily opened his eyes to see Shachi and Penguin stood over him.

"Sorry." Bepo sulked from the foot of the bed.

"It's all righ.t" Law assured them.

"Captain!" The excited trio shouted in unison. His crew were always overly excited by him.

"Shut up, or you'll attract unwanted guests!" Law scolded.

"Sorry." said the polar bear. Somehow seeming more whiter than usual.

Shachi and Penguin also mumbled their apologies, and inquired as to why their captain didn't want the Strawhats to visit his sick bed.

Law explained that he was just too exhausted to try to endure their vitality. It was a half truth. He decided against telling them his more personal reasons.

"What happened when Nami-ya, and the other Strawhats joined you on Zou?" the Heart's Captain asked his crew. He tried to sit up a little to find some comfort, but there was none to be had. So he slumped back down, lower than he was before. The bed was not accommodating to his tall frame, so his feet hung out the end.

Shachi and Penguin were both blushing. Law imagined that they were remembering the other crew arriving, led by the bikini clad voluptuous woman.

"Oi!" he prompted them. The dark scowl on his face did nothing to actually portray how irritated he was by his crewmen.

Penguin seemed to snap out of it and gave the account of their crews becoming acquainted, while the flush on Shachi's face only got deeper as he stared off into space.

"Bepo. Get Tony-ya." The Dark Doctor interrupted, dragging himself further up the bed again.

"Yes Captain." The bear sprang to his feet, and exited the room in a hurry. He could tell that his Captain had become quite irritated by Penguin's tale, even though Law thought that he had hidden it well.

"Are you hungry, Captain? I'll get Sanji-san to make you some food." Shachi eagerly asked him.

He wasn't hungry, but he remembered how delicious the food was that Blackleg had cooked on Punk Hazard, and how revitalised he had felt after eating it. Law decided that he definitely needed to eat something Blackleg had cooked to regain his strength quickly. He would then be able to teleport himself away from any annoyances. That, and be able to interact with others.

He nodded in agreement, and Shachi went to find the blonde cook.

"Are you okay, Captain?" Penguin asked. Law's mood shift was obviously very apparent.

Trafalgar Law noticed then that his eyebrows were knitted together in frustration. The frown on his lips was also probably deeper than usual.

"Yea ... " was all the reply he could muster before Chopper entered the room.

"Tony-ya! I need to get out of this bed. I'm uncomfortable, and in pain, and restless ..." The injured man explained. He wasn't at all asking for permission, more telling the reindeer his intentions. Out of respect for the fellow doctor, he would wait for Chopper to approve of him moving.

"If you really feel you need to move then I won't stop you. You are also a doctor, and aware of the consequences. Just remember to take it easy, no quick or excessive movements, and keep someone with you all the time to help you." Chopper said, much to Law's relief.

"Bepo can stay with me.." he informed his doctor.

Chopper nodded and left the room.

"Help me sit up." he ordered his navigator.

Bepo supported his captain as he lifted his back from off the mattress. Law drew his knees up the bed to sit cross legged, then placed his forearms flat out in front of him. He lowered his head as much as he could. The pain in his chest was still extremely apparent, but the pleasure he got from stretching his spine was glorious. He kept his elbows on the mattress but lifted his arms up to support his head. He stayed in this position until Shachi came back with his food.

Bepo and Penguin helped him off the bed so he could sit in a lounge chair that they had been brought in, and eat at the desk on the other side of the room. The Surgeon of Death was a lot weaker than he had thought he was. Even though he had aid, and only took a few steps, his limbs felt extremely heavy.

After eating his meal, he leant back in the chair and fell asleep again.

* * *

"Tora-o!" Luffy shouted as he ran into the infirmary. Law lifted his head off the back of the chair to acknowledge the other captain.

"Mugiwara-ya" he said as a greeting. Luffy's face was a little screwed up, as if he seemingly felt bad for waking Law.

That soon changed though as the excited young man proceeded to tell the Heart's Captain about the days earlier exploits. Nami and Usopp had been swimming in the ocean when they were attacked by a swordfish sea king. Zoro and Sanji had apparently killed it, and it was going to be barbecued for dinner. The thought of food had the Strawhat wearer drooling where he sat. Law thought for a moment that he was not going to speak again, his silence from fantasizing about food was so long.

Luffy then told him about how Shachi had passed Nami her towel as she got out of the ocean, and that Sanji had got angry at him for it and wanted to kill him. As Luffy had told it, Shachi had been chased pretty much all over Sunny and was hiding aboard Law's submarine. Sanji was now refusing to cook for him, and told him to stay away from his precious 'Nami-swan'. The Strawhat captain just started to laugh hysterically at the story he'd told.

Law was reminded of his earlier irritation from speaking with Shachi and Penguin. It bothered him that his crew had gotten to spend some peaceful time getting to know the Strawhats, even if it was only a handful of them. The whole time he had spent with their allies was during days full of chaos. He'd had a couple of quiet days at sea with them, which only really gave him a brief look at the crew's dynamic. He was jealous that his crew had gotten close with Nami-ya.

The rumours about her were definitely true. She was a painfully seductive, yet chaste woman. This made her a delightful challenge for every man who was enchanted, or stupid enough, to accept. Defeat would involve a few thousand volts of electricity surging through one's body, and the lose of one's wallet, at the hand of the expert pick pocket.

When she wasn't playfully and purposely enticing, she was serious and stubborn, an icy authoritative figure on Luffy's ship. Quite different to the warm-hearted, self sacrificing woman that had utterly confused him with her resolve on Punk Hazard. Law was certainly embroiled with intrigue due to her.

He knew she was physically weak. Her declaration before engaging Baby 5 and Buffalo had shown him why her bounty was only sixteen million. 'I'm not afraid of enemies that are far away, with no intention to fight', he remembered her saying. She wasn't going to be much use on Dressrosa, so he had purposely kept her on the Sunny Security team to keep her from harm, and from distracting him. So when the opportunity came to get Caesar away from Dressrosa he was pleased she would be leaving too. Safe, he thought. He never considered that his crew might try and cosy up with her.

She did distract him, no matter how much he tried to deny or ignore it. Nami was distracting him now from whatever Luffy had begun talking about. He remembered her vividly from the Human Auction on Shabondy. Law didn't like to think of himself as a pervert, but at the time, he couldn't not drink in the image of her long bare legs, and her nicely rounded behind. She was certainly a pleasant sight amongst the other pirates and bidders.

Seeing her on Punk Hazard was painfully magnificent. He already thought that she was beautiful, and applauded himself for not trying to take advantage of her right there and then. The sight of Nami after not seeing a woman at all for weeks, and for her to turn up in a bikini ... it did more than excite him. Enough to make him forget about the freezing temperature of the island and concentrate on the warmth that had developed in his groin. She was quite lucky the rest of her crew came bursting through the same door she had, moments later.

It was only after leaving Punk Hazard that it occurred to him that he'd been in the company of that female harpy, Monet. And that there was a Marine woman on the island as well. Neither of them counted as far as he was concerned, especially when compared with the Cat Burglar.

His train of thought was interrupted by Luffy's stomach started growling, loudly.

"Hara heta~!" He sulked. "Are you eating in here? It's more fun if everyone eats together!" Luffy told him.

"I'll eat with everyone, in the galley." Law assured the younger man. He hoped he could reclaim the seat at that table that he'd previously sat at, the one between Luffy and Nami.

* * *

When Trafalgar Law got out onto the deck he paused for a moment to appreciate the sun on his skin. It seemed like forever since he'd been beneath it's warm rays. He closed his eyes, drinking in all the sensations the world had to offer him after winning his freedom from the infirmary, and his past.

The sounds of the ocean waves and seagulls seemed so different now they weren't muffled by closed doors. It felt like months since he'd heard them. The smell of fresh salty air was a welcomed relief after breathing in nothing but the scent of antiseptic for however long. There was a hint of mikans and suntan lotion in the air too, and a mouth watering aroma coming from the kitchen.

"We are no longer moored at Zou." he said to his navigator after noticing the lack of land around the ship. It was an observation, not a question.

"I'm sorry," Bepo replied. "Nami-san said a strong storm was rolling in, and it would be safer if we moved on." he continued, looking for any signs of displeasure on his captain's face.

Law knew Nami had some kind of sixth sense for weather prediction, so he trusted that it was the right thing to do. "What's our course?" he asked.

"I don't know, Captain. Nami-san is in charge. I'm sorry." he answered, lowering his head as he did.

That news didn't surprise the Dark Doctor in the slightest, he had seen it before first hand. Luffy may be the captain, but Nami certainly runs his ship. And from how Penguin had explained what happened when the crews first met on Zou, Nami had taken command over his crew as well. He wished she had ruled the Heart Pirates in the manner as she ruled her own crew; with an iron fist. As expected, she had playfully seduced his men into doing whatever she wanted. Law cursed himself for having an all male crew. He refrained from saying anything about her out load. He knew her mikan trees were on the deck directly above where he was stood, and that she was sitting amongst them. The smell of her sun protection had given her away.

Law decided to continue on to the galley, shaking off Bepo's help, and just using the handrail for aid. "I need to test my strength." he explained to the bear. It was a slow process but he made it there on his own, his navigator followed close behind, just in case.

Sanji acknowledged them both with a nod and a grunt as they entered the kitchen. The wounded man reaching out for some help at this point. The last bit of his journey was more than his body could handle, so Bepo helped him to the sofa. He slumped down so the top of his seat was at the base of his neck, shut his eyes, and threw his head back. As much as he'd been restless and needed to stretch his legs, he didn't think anything had ever felt as good as the rest he was getting now.

"Food'll be a while yet." Sanji informed them.

"I just needed to get out of that room." Law replied. Slowly lifting his head to look in the direction of the chef. He could see giant swordfish steaks sat in bowls of marinade upon the dining table. Corn cobs next to that. Then, a large container of dressing. Despite how good it smelt, he didn't ask what would be accompanying the fish. He doubted he'd have the appetite to finish a whole meal anyway. He'd not even managed half of what Shachi brought him earlier. Which reminded him ...

"Are you really not cooking for Shachi?" he asked the blonde man.

Sanji froze for a minute before he answered him. "I will, as long as that bastard stays away from Nami-san." Law nodded in agreement, and shut his eyes again. His hand reached up to grab his hat. When he discovered that it wasn't there, he mussed up his hair, and realised how desperately needed to bathe. He raised his arm above his head and inhaled his own scent. It shocked him that he didn't smell as bad as he thought he might. Still, Law would get his dressings removed so he could shower later.

The Strawhat's cook lit a new cigarette, and picked up the food dishes off the table that required barbecuing. He was defending said food the moment he exited the galley. It seemed Luffy did not care if his meal was cooked or not.

The Surgeon of Death turned to his navigator and asked "How's your time been with the Strawhat crew?"

* * *


	2. Keep Your Hands To Yourself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things before we start:
> 
> 1) Law's submarine. When I first saw it I thought "That's a bit high tech' for the world of One Piece!" and because of that, I have made it a little high tech. Since we haven't seen too much of what it's capable of, that kind of allows me free rein, right?
> 
> 2) All the topics I've said Nami knows about, are all actual things I think she would have a fair amount of knowledge of, and possibly be interested in. Especially if she is to be the amazing navigator that she is. Hopefully I won't upset anyone with these ideas.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy :) Oh and Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece!

* * *

 

The Surgeon of Death turned to his navigator and asked "How's your time been with the Strawhat crew?"

Bepo looked a bit scared from what Law could make out. "What?" He inquired, half expecting the bear to tell him that it'd been awful, and that his good nature had thoroughly been taken advantage of.

After a minute or two of silence, Bepo reluctantly said "I let Nami-san use the ocean current profiler."

* * *

The Strawhat crew and the Heart Pirates had joined forces on Zou four days prior.

_When Sanji had asked who was in charge, a man in a black hat with a yellow peak nominated himself. "I'm Penguin." he informed them, eyes fixed on Nami._

_"Do you know who we are?" Nami asked sweetly, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she did._

_Penguins words caught in his throat._

_"The Strawhats." shouted the polar bear, who was stood behind his two comrades. "Is it true what the paper said, about the alliance?" he asked them._

_"Yes." Nami said flatly. "That's how we were able to find you. Your captain tore a piece off his vivre card and gave it to me." she explained, holding up the small piece of paper so they could see it._

_"This is Shachi, and Bepo." Penguin said, motioning to them respectively. Shachi wore a green hat with a pink peak, and sunglasses despite the lateness of the hour, and Bepo was huge polar bear. All three of them wore the same style boiler suit. The two men wore black, and the bear an orange one._

_The Heart Pirates tethered their submarine to the Thousand Sunny, and Sanji invited them on board so they could discuss the alliance, and what they knew to be happening on Dressrosa. Nami let Sanji lead the conversation, he did know more because Princess Viola had let him see so much through her Devil Fruit ability. Nami sat across the table from the two men. Smiling, and urging her breasts closer together with her arms._

_After their brief talk, which no one except Bepo really paid any attention to, Nami lead the Heart Pirates to Usopp's factory, which was where they'd been keeping Caesar Clown prisoner. She walked a few paces ahead of the them so they could watch her hips sway as she walked. Her plan to rule them was going to work, she'd make sure of it._

_Brook was visibly pleased when they agreed to let the Heart Pirates take Caesar on-board their submarine. He would no longer have to guard the scientist, none of the Strawhats would. He broke out into a celebratory song once Caesar was in transit._

Since then, Nami felt she'd succeeded in getting the Heart Pirates wrapped pretty tightly around her fingers. Tight enough that she was sure if they caught her snooping around their submarine, they wouldn't mind so much. 'Heels would be too loud on those metal floors' she thought to herself, and opted to advance bare foot.

The Shark sub' they had on Sunny was nothing compared with this. Sure, their submarine could dive up to five thousand meters, but you couldn't exactly move around within it! She was too curious to not explore the larger vessel.

Nami let her hands brush over the walls, and her eyes search the low ceilings as she crept around Law's submarine as if she was going to steal something. She moved stealthily and gracefully along the gangways. The creaks heard within the hull of The Thousand Sunny were warm and comforting to her. The constant sound of water dripping, and mental hollow popping noises she was hearing now from the hull of the submarine, were a little unnerving. Nami had butterflies from the extra adrenalin in her system.

Every time she came to what she thought may have been one of the crew's quarters, Nami refrained from poking around within it. She definitely didn't like the idea of the Heart Pirates snooping around in her room. Even the thought of her own crew doing it made her uncomfortable. So, she wouldn't do it to them.

The deeper the Cat Burglar got within the sub, the louder that awful voice belonging to Caesar Clown could be heard. She'd half forgotten he was still their prisoner. Four days of not having to worry about the scientist, or listen to him prattle on about Joker, were a relief. Her mind darted back to when Trafalgar Law placed him in their custody.

She knew he was strong. Law had pretty much cut the top off the entire island back on Punk Hazard. And, with a bounty as high as his was, there's no way he could not be. He was badly wounded though, and desperate for them to get away from Doflamingo. Was the other Shichibukai really that strong that he could instil such fear in Trafalgar Law? She thought he had tried to seem calm, but Nami could sense he was turbulent.

She'd previously thought that Law was a cold hearted bastard for ignoring those children in Caesars laboratory, but despite that she was now worried for his safety. Nami didn't trust him, but Luffy said "Tora-o is a good guy" and his instincts about people were usually very good. She knew there was more to him, and the situation, than he was letting on. 'Did he truly think he could win, or did he just have no regard for his own life?'

Whatever his reasons were, it felt to Nami that he was going to sacrifice himself no matter what. As if nothing mattered but Doflamingo. As if he'd never imagined his own life beyond the war they were currently fighting. What could be so important? Nami had asked herself. She couldn't help but think of her village then, of how they were all willing to throw their lives away to fight Arlong. To end his tyranny, for justice, for Belle-mere … 'was he fighting for something similar?'

What would happen if her crew came back without Law?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted piles of bathymetrical data all over a desk, in what could only be described as a cartography room. This sort of information must have been easy to acquire in Law's submarine using sonar. There were subheadings and co-ordinates above the data. Absolute depth, sub depth, and ocean current velocity.

Nami's lack of submarine knowledge left her wondering how this sort of vessel could record ocean current velocity. The only method she was aware of was the tradition one for measuring surface currents. Observation, a floating device, and a timer. The prospect of learning this new technique, and perhaps something which may be helpful to her own crew was exciting for her.

Nami lifted her eyes from the notes she was holding to see Bepo, the person she most wished to speak to at that moment, looking back at her inquisitively.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

The orange haired woman was taken slightly aback by the lack of apology, which was usually the first thing out of his mouth.

"Just having a look." Nami said, smiling sweetly. She clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke. Her wrists resting on her buttocks. "We are allies, remember?" She added when it came back to her that the bear was completely unaffected by her sexual allure.

"Okay. Sorry." the bear replied, turning to walk off and leave her to continue.

"Wait, Bepo!" Nami called after him. She jumped to the door frame to see he had halted in the gangway, and turned in her direction. "How did you collect all this data?" She asked.

Bepo sheepishly explained to Nami how their submarine has acoustic transducers secured to the hull. They emitted high frequency pulses that bounce off moving particles of water. The submarine uses the principle of the Doppler shift to obtain the quantitative data for ocean currents. "How else would you get that information?" the polar bear asked her.

This new technique definitely did excite her. Nami's dream was to draw her own terrestrial and oceanic cartograph of the world, surface currents included. To have something like this at her disposal meant that she could create a topographical map of the ocean floor, and a map of the thermohaline circulation. Nami was already thinking about stealing those transducers and attaching them to Sunny.

Bepo's question of 'How else would you obtain that information' led Nami to understand that he had no knowledge of how surface currents were measured. So, she decided she would trade this information with him. She wanted some time to use their equipment, to collect and record deep ocean current data. In return, she would teach him the technique for surface currents.

Nami learned that Bepo had knowledge of what caused ocean currents, but had no idea of the scientific processes involved. He simply didn't need to know such things being on a technically advanced submarine.

Since then, the two navigators had been spending a lot of time together.

It was such a delight for Nami to be able to explain something she had a lot of passion for, and to be understood. Not once had the polar bear referred to anything as a 'mystery', something she heard a lot from her own crew. Nami was also pleasantly surprised that she did not need to speak in layman's terms with Bepo. He was intelligent, and understood at least ninety percent of the scientific terms she used.

Nami covered the basics first. Talking about salinity, density, temperature, and finally to stratification.

One thing that Bepo had apparently always struggled with was that ocean currents are largely driven by atmospheric circulation. He understood it, just not as well as he would have liked. It thrilled Nami to know that perhaps she could teach him something about meteorology, and maybe even some fluid dynamics.

* * *

"So, you gave her information about how to use our Acoustic Current Profiler. Something that is only relevant if you are on board our ship. And you say, in return she taught you a lot about oceanographic and meteorological processes?" The Dark Doctor asked his navigator.

"Yes, Captain" Bepo replied. "Sor.."

"Don't be," Law cut off his apology. "It seems you certainly got the better end of that deal" he said and got up off the sofa to sit at the table. He thought then that he probably should have put a shirt on to eat dinner, instead of sitting there half naked, but it was too late now. Luffy seemed to be getting louder by the minute, so he anticipated that dinner would be ready any moment.

The Surgeon of Death decided he would let Bepo continue his lessons with Nami. He smiled to himself thinking about how he'd nominated the bear to take care of him, meaning he'd also get to spend time with her. There was some underlying quality about her that enthralled him, and he was determined to work out what it was.

The door to the galley quickly swung open. Penguin came in first shading his eyes with the peak of his hat, holding the door for Nico Robin. He let it shut behind her, which smacked Jean Bart right in the face. The man wasn't any better looking for it, and silently fumed, rubbing his nose.

Luffy and Chopper came in after that. "Law!" The doctor shouted. "You can't eat like that. Let me get some bandages"

"It'll be fine" the injured man started to explain.

"No. You'll get food on your dressings. I'll get you a bib then." the reindeer insisted.

'Why would I need a bib? he angrily thought to himself. "I want them taken off after dinner, Tony-ya. I need a shower." The words seeming to erupt from his throat in a fiery tone.

"But ..." Chopper tried to argue.

"I'm not soaking in a bath. I'll be fine." he said, more passively than his previous statement.

Chopper just frowned at him, and kept an unhappy look on his face as he took his seat at the table.

Law rested his elbows on the table so he could prop his head up. Sleep was calling to him again, but he knew it was safe to close his eyes here. There was no way he could fall asleep at this table, not with the amount of noisy characters surrounding it.

"That's my place!" Luffy shouted to Jean, just as his cheeks touched the seat. The man stood up instantly, and Luffy jumped over the back of the chair to boisterously sit down and bang his fists on the table, impatiently.

"You sit at the counter." Sanji instructed to the man just ousted from the place he wanted. The cook set the swordfish steaks in the centre of the table, and Luffy's hands instantly shot out. The smell made Law's mouth water, despite him not felling the slightest bit hungry.

Sanji picked up a couple of steaks, and prepared two meals. "I'll take these to those two bastards." he said before leaving the galley. As all but one of his crew were present, the two samurai were there, and with one missing from the Strawhats, The Surgeon of Death presumed Sanji had meant Caesar Clown, and his current guard, Shachi. He was surprised to see that Caesar was being fed so well.

"Nami-swan~!" The cook cooed to her from out on deck.

Law didn't hear her respond, but she appeared a few minutes later. Luckily for him, no one had sat in the seat next to him. So Nami took up her usual spot at the table. He tried not to look at her as she approached, but he definitely watched her. White denim shorts, and an over sized pink hooded top, hair tied into a messy bun. "Nami-ya" he greeted her as she sat down.

"You don't look so good, Tora-kun" she replied to him.

That name annoyed him a bit. He felt he her wanted to hear her say his proper name, though he kind of liked the strange nickname she'd given him. Luffy calling him Tora-o was because the idiot either couldn't pronounce it, or couldn't remember his proper name. Nami did initially call him Trafalgar, so Tora-kun was a warmer term.

"Thanks" was all the reply he gave the orange haired woman. He knew he looked a mess, so he wasn't bothered by her words.

* * *

Dinner was loud. Too much chatter, too much clatter. Trafalgar Law found himself very irritated by it all. He blamed it on his poor health. The Strawhat's dining antics had never bothered him to this degree before. Though, they did seem in higher spirits than usual. He hadn't paid attention to anything that was said, and had said nothing himself. His interest was piqued, and jealousy ignited, when Penguin started to speak of the fun that his crew had had with the remaining Strawhats while everyone else was fighting on Dressrosa.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted angrily to his navigator "You never play with us!"

"Of course I do." she replied with exasperation.

"Well, you played more games with them. You're always so mean, and serious, and scary." Luffy puffed up his cheeks and furrowed his brows.

"Oi!" Sanji shouted. The cigarette fell from his mouth and landed in the kitchen sink.

"Luffy," Nami started, before the childish captain folded his arms across his body and huffed loudly.

"Why did you never let your guard down when you fought … Rob Lucci, for instance? What would have happened if you did?"

"He would have killed all my nakama." Luffy answered, but was clearly confused as to why she had asked him what he thought to be pointless question.

"And that is exactly what'll happen if I let my guard down. Your opponents are people, Luffy. Mine are the sea and the sky. As this ships navigator, I have a responsibility to keep you all safe. I completely relax and have fun with you guys when we're on land, and your battles are over. But when we're at sea, the lives of everyone aboard this ship are in my hands. It is a big responsibility. I might seem mean, but at least you're all still alive."

Luffy apparently accepted her answer, but continued to furrow his brows, and pout at her.

"The strip poker was the best. Except Nami beat everyone, and won all our money." Penguin added, it seemed he wanted to throw fuel on Law's fire.

That statement bothered Law for many reasons. Mainly because he had played poker with the Strawhats after leaving Punk Hazard, but not strip poker. He was quite sure though that his game against their allies, was much better than his crews. Before he got more angry, he thought it best to leave the table, and get the shower he so desperately wanted.

"Tony-ya, will you take them off my back?" Law asked when he'd finished his food, referring to the couple of island dressings that he certainly wouldn't be able to reach.

Chopper nodded and got up from the table. He changed to his heavy point, then carefully lifted Law from his seat and princess carried him out of the galley, and back to the infirmary.

The Surgeon of Death wanted to die! His face was frozen in anger, and shock. Mortified was a severe understatement. How much did the Strawhat crew need to humiliate him?! "Tony-ya?!" He demanded in a low and furious voice.

"It wouldn't have been sanitary to remove them in there." was all the explanation Chopper offered. He quickly exited the room. Leaving Law behind, petrified with an abundance of shame.

When Chopper had opened the door, Law could still hear that everyone was in hysterics in the galley. He felt like he was on fire, he was that angry. On numerous occasions they had completely shattered the hard, cold image he had created for himself. Not paying attention to his important explanations, tying Tony-ya to his head, the way Luffy just lugged him about like a sack of potatoes on Dressrosa, following their own whims instead of his perfect plans ... He was quite sure that not a single one of them, or even his own crew, would ever take him seriously ever again.

Bepo entered moments later. "Captain?" he asked. Law was still too shocked and abashed to say anything in reply. He was too busy trying to steady his breathing. So the bear just left the room and shut the door behind himself. He waited out on deck until his captain regained his composure.

* * *

Since Trafalgar Law was still too weak to generate his room, he definitely wouldn't be able to make it up to the bath house on the Thousand Sunny. He had Bepo help him back to his sub, so he could shower in his own quarters, then sleep in his own comfy bed. His navigator brought him a stool for the shower. He would need it. He doubted he could remain standing for that long. Bepo left him alone so he could bathe in peace.

The hot water against his skin was so relaxing. He felt rejuvenated from just sitting there with it pouring on his back. He closed his eyes thinking of the discussion at dinner that he had actually listened to. His mind skipping over most of it, but stopping at the mention of the poker game. He remembered how Nami had stalked up to him during their game. Law knew she wasn't too happy about losing her belli to him, so she accused him of cheating, and Nose-ya insisted that she search him for proof.

_Maybe it was the few too many drinks she'd had that made her less reserved regarding him, she was usually more 'professional', for lack of a better word. She'd crawled almost cat like towards him, along the red bench in their aquarium bar. It was obviously her plan to enchant him, and cloud his mind so he wouldn't know what to do, or where to look. Her brown eyes, poised in a sultry stare? Her ample cleavage, framed by her long orange curls? Or her tantalizing hips swaying behind her? She moved perfectly in time with the duet that Brook and Franky were performing._

_He managed to keep himself calm, though he could feel his pulse quicken, and a warmth stir within himself. Still, he refused to break eye contact with the temptress, he knew what she was up to. As she got closer to him, she kept her face level with his, and swung her leg over his lap. He could not believe she had the gall to straddle him. The rumours of her being 'painfully seductive' ringing true in the forefront of his mind._

_The moment Nami raised both her hands to begin her search, he intercepted them immediately. He turned both her wrists, looking for any cards he knew she intended to plant on him. Then raked all of her silky hair through his fingers to check she had none hidden there. Once he was satisfied, he let her continue._

_Nami slipped her fingers just beneath the feathers of his sweater. Her hands lightly tracing his collar bone before she placed them flat against his flesh, and trailed them up the back of his neck. She curled her fingers slightly when she got to his hair line, gently grazing her nails against his scalp as she searched beneath his hat. She ran her fingers through his messy hair as her hands retreated back down his neck. Law had to clear his throat to disguise the moan he was sure was coming. He was able to keep the smile from his lips, but was sure Nami could see the glint in his eyes. She knew he was enjoying it._

_She pinched the bottom of his sweater, and tugged it slightly up a couple of times. Law correctly assumed this was a request to explore beneath it, and nodded his head at the beauty still sat on his lap. He was desperately trying to think about anything but what she was doing to him, but he had to concentrate on her, to ensure she didn't plant any cards on him._

_Both her hands sneaked underneath his sweater, but she kept her fingers off him until she placed her palms on his chest. He was pleased with the expression on her face as she glided her hands down his chest and abs. Law couldn't help but stare at her lightly parted lips. Her eyes were fixed on the Heart Pirate's insignia on his clothing, right above where her hands were. She continued her search by trailing her hands down his sides, and to the small of his back._

_Nami's face was very close to his at this point. It took nearly all the strength he had to not reach out and claim her lips. He imagined himself doing it, then stopped his thought process before he embarrassed himself with the growing tension in his groin, or before he actually tried to kiss her. He just focused on controlling his breathing._

_The minx on his lap, ever so slightly, pushed the tips her index fingers under the waist band of his jeans. She waited there for authorization, smiling at him, almost innocently. Law raised his left eyebrow at her, and couldn't keep his lips from curling into a smirk. Nami tilted her head to his left, obviously not accepting a cocked eyebrow as a yes or a no. What could he do? He had to let her continue or else everyone would think he was cheating!_

_That last thought snapped him out of the trance like state that she had him in. He couldn't believe he'd been so focused on her that he had completely forgotten about the nine other people in the room, who were currently watching the orange haired beauty titillate him. It was a good realisation though, he could compose himself now so she could finish her search._

_Law nodded his head, and cast his eyes to look at the ceiling. He didn't want to think about her hands inside his jeans, even if it was only slightly. She moved her fingers through his waistband at a painfully slow pace. He took a deep breath as she reached his hip bones. Nami twisted her fingers so her knuckles were now brushing against his flesh. He couldn't help but tense all of his stomach as her fingers trailed along his lower abdominal muscles. His gaze shot to her eyes then, and she returned it with a devilish expression._

_As her hands left his body, she revealed four cards._

_"Where the hell did you hide them?" Law asked in shock, as he took the cards from her, examining them._

_"All your belli is mine" Nami said as she got off his lap._

_Law was actually too shocked by her skill to argue with her about it. He'll get it back at some point._

Trafalgar Law groaned as he looked down to see his hard, swollen member, all from the thought of her. He gave himself a few sympathetic strokes as he'd decided against pleasuring himself. He quickly began to wash his hair and body, trying to keep the soap well away from his wounds, and trying to calm his mind.

The Hearts Captain briefly gave thought to how his chest tattoo would look once he was fully healed. He had more than one bullet wound going through the inked sections of his skin. He didn't know if his Jolly Roger on his back had been damaged or not, though it more than likely was.

He couldn't stay under the warm water for much longer. Law was already weak, and tired, and the heat was making him feel light headed. Once he was sure all the soap was out of his hair he turned off the water, threw a towel over his head, and sat back down on the stood. He rested there for a few minutes feeling too dizzy and too tired to do anything. When his strength returned, he roughly rubbed the towel in to his dark blue hair, removing as much moisture as he could, then placed the towel on his back. He knew he couldn't leave it there for long because of his injuries. So, Law stood up soon after to dry off the rest of his body.

After the Dark Doctor had completely dried himself, he put on a clean pair of loose black jersey pants. His Jolly Roger was embroidered in yellow near his left ankle.

* * *

"Bepo!" he said in a raised voice, but not quite a shout. Law hoped the bear was still within earshot so he's wouldn't have to move to find him. Bepo entered moments later.

"Captain?" he asked, peeking his head inside the room.

"Can you ask Tony-ya to sort this out, so I can sleep." he said pointing to his chest. Bepo left immediately.

Shortly after he heard a knock at his door. "Yea" he said. Giving what he thought would be Chopper permission to enter. "Nami-ya?" He said, surprised to see her.

"Chopper is ... indisposed." the woman explained.

"Indisposed how?" He asked.

"I think Sanji would interpret it as 'Shachi walking into his foot'." she said with a smile.

"Since your crew fight like cat and dog, I should probably just accept this as them getting along." he reasoned. He knew Shachi would have gotten the kick to the face for trying to get too close to Nami, so he couldn't care less. It also meant that if it hadn't happened, then Chopper would be stood before him now, instead of her.

"So I get Nurse Nami?" he asked, watching her reaction. "If you're going to make a habit of this, then I'll have to buy you a uniform." He joked. Though he did quite like the idea of that. He saw her expression change. Something about what he'd said had made her uncomfortable.

"It'll cost you!" She said winking at him, and transferring all her weight to one foot. Nami then cast her eyes about the room.

Law certainly admired the shape of her curvaceous figure, which she enhanced with the way she stood, but it didn't affect him as much as it should have. She was hiding something behind those movements, and he wanted to know what. She had changed pretty quickly, and then snapped back ...

"I didn't bring anything with me." the navigator declared. "Since no one was smart enough to steal any of Doflamingo's treasure on your way out, our funds are low. Chopper is running out of medical supplies because of you. So we'll have to use what you have" she said, then left to find a first aid kit.

The orange haired woman returned moments later. She was so fast that Law was sure she'd spent an awful amount of time on his sub, and now knew her way round perfectly.

Something occurred to him then, and a devilish smile crept onto his lips. "Since you're so keen on saving money, and not using up supplies ... " he started, then got up to close the distance between them. He took the first aid kit from her, and pulled out what she was going to need. "Don't bother with the gloves, just wash your hands." He requested.

"Isn't that still a bit unhygienic?" she asked him.

The Dark Doctor didn't bother replying to her, he just pointed to the bathroom. Nami let out a sigh in exasperation and went to wash her hands. It pleased him that she hadn't insisted on the gloves. He sat up straight on the end of his bed next to the medical provisions. That horrible ache in his chest and back making itself known again. He tried to stretch it out, but he was still in too much pain to rid himself of it.

Nami entered the room, and cautiously made her way to where Trafalgar Law sat. She picked up the first gauze he'd laid out for her, and started to fix it to one of the many lesions on his chest. Although he knew she was competent, he just wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing, so the surgeon watched her closely as she dressed the first few wounds. He could see that Nami's hands were trembling. He hoped she was nervous, thinking about their poker game, like he was not so long ago. Or could she be afraid of him?

"Nami-ya, are you scared of me?" He asked her, trying to not intimidate her at all.

"Who'd be scared of an injured man like you?" She teased. Placing a finger on his chest, not too close and not too far from the damaged tissue, and then she applied a little pressure.

The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was certainly enough to force him to move away from her, and grimace. Law lent forward again to allow her to continue her work.

Her breasts were at his eye level, but with the over sized pink hooded top she wore, his mental attentions there were pointless. So, he decided to stop looking at her altogether. He closed his eyes and just concentrated on how her hands felt on his skin. Law wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but she seemed to be a bit more delicate now than she was before. Perhaps it was her way of an apology for hurting him a moment ago.

Either way, he didn't care. He'd wanted to feel her touch on him again since her and Chopper were changing his dressings, whenever that was, he didn't know or care. It felt like a life time ago, especially because he's slept so many times since then. The feeling of her finger tips brushing lightly over his skin was more gratifying than he could have ever possibly hoped. And, her cool skin was soothing against his spoiled flesh.

He fantasised that she was just tracing the lines of his tattoo with her fingers. It was something he imagined she would possibly do, if she was his. Whenever she moved on to place the next dressing, his skin still tingled where her hands had previously been, and his heart rate slowly began increase.

Law's amber eyes shot open when Nami removed her hands from his body.

"Done!" she proclaimed, after she'd dressed all the wounds on his chest, then moved to sit behind him to cover the ones on his back.

His lids were heavy, he felt a bit like he'd been hypnotised. He'd enjoyed every moment of her touch though, and it thoroughly relaxed him.

The Surgeon of Death put his hands together and stretched out his arms in front of him. He followed that by rolling his shoulders a couple of times. Law threw his head back in anguish, and sighed. He couldn't wait until he was better, and for that dull ache to be gone from his back.

Nami made a fist and ran her knuckles down Law's spine. He groaned and arched his back at her movements. "You can do that again!" he told her without even thinking of what was coming out of his mouth. "It's been killing me all day." he continued.

"Maybe when you don't have gooey holes in you." she said quietly in his ear. Her breath fanning down is neck, sending a shiver throughout his entire body.

His eyes were shut, and his lips parted a little. 'She knows what she is doing to me, she must do!' Law thought to himself, hoping she wasn't looking at the expression on his face. If she was, she would definitely know how her actions had effected him.

"But it'll cost you." she said in the exact same way, but in the other ear.

'I'll fucking pay, whatever price!' The Dark Doctor said internally. He clenched his teeth together, and tried to keep his breathing steady.

He was pleased she had finished tending to the wounds on his chest, and was now behind him. She hadn't aroused him enough for him to get an erection, he was just too physically exhausted for that now. Still, he'd felt his nipples react to the shivers she sent through his body, and the slightest cover of goosebumps was visible on his forearms. He really wanted to act on what he was feeling, but he was much to tired.

She started to dress his wounds then, fingers lightly brushing over his skin again. He tried to purge from his mind everything that he'd previously been thinking. Attempting to direct his thoughts to what she was doing now, and not what she did to him a minute ago.

"Why are you doing this, when my crew is fully qualified?" he inquired, hoping it might be for personal reasons.

"You know about Sanji-san and Shachi," Nami began to explain. "We never actually see four of the guys on your crew. Jean is guarding Caesar. Penguin is protecting Shachi. And Bepo is where ever you left him." She then placed her left hand on his shoulder and said "So that just leaves me."

Law nodded at her explanation, and then sat in silence.

Despite saying she wouldn't, Nami ran her knuckles down his spine again, but with a bit more pressure than before. He managed to stifle any sound that tried to escape his mouth this time. She then placed her hands flat on his back and rubbed slow circles into his latissimus dorsi muscles.

For a moment he completely forgot that she was touching him. Just concentrating on the relief her hands were causing in his back. When she stopped, he groaned and threw his head backwards, cast his arms behind him and propped himself up. He still ached. She hadn't touched his upper back because of his wounds, but that's where the most discomfort was.

"That'll be one hundred thousand belli." she told him as she got up from off his bed. "You can pay me tomorrow." Nami sent him a wicked smile and left.

'Bitch' he thought to himself merrily when she'd gone. Not because she had charged him, but because she's half cured the ache in his back, but left him with an entirely different sort of ache.

* * *

**So, that was chapter two :) I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate it :) And again, reviews are always welcome! It's good to know if people actually like it, or if I should stop wasting my life!**

**6th May 2014**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was chapter two :) I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> 6th May 2014


	3. Arrival At Boscage Bay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own One Piece, it belongs to Oda Eiichiro.

* * *

****

Nami awoke to the excited cries of her captain.

"Land!" he called out. "I want to explore! Sanji! Make me a lunch box!" could be heard shortly after.

She stretched out and rolled over to discover that Robin was already up. Momonosuke had slept in the Men's dormitory again. Since separating from the rest of the crew, Sanji demanded that the young boy sleep in the their quarters. He didn't trust the kid to sleep alone with Nami.

It was weird for Nami at first, like when she was on Weatheria. She'd gotten so used to sharing a room with Robin that it was odd, and lonely actually, to sleep by herself. Just hearing another person's breathing at night was soothing. She'd just about gotten used to sleeping on her own again when the crew returned. She welcomed the female company, and never felt more grateful for Robin.

Shachi and Penguin were on the same level of fawning as Sanji, and having to deal with the three of them at once was troublesome. Robin certainly had Penguins attention now, to Nami's relief.

The curtains were still drawn in their quarters. Muted violet hues were cast about the room from the hanging fabric at the window, and it was slowly lulling her back to sleep. The clamour from out on deck forced her decision to get up, to hopefully quieten down Luffy's excited shouts. If words could not suppress him, her fist definitely would.

It was as if her captain knew her intentions. His volume was quelled the moment he saw Nami emerge from her room, though his enthusiasm was not. He ran to their other crew mates, trying to summon a bit of excitement from them.

As the ships got closer Nami observed that the entire island looked to be covered in a tropical jungle. 'This will be Little Garden all over again' the navigator thought to herself. After remembering how ill she'd been from their visit to that island, she decided to opt out of going ashore.

Sanji disappeared into the galley to prepare three days worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. And an extra six meals for Luffy, because he would want them.

"Nami-san." Robin called to her softly. "The News Coo just delivered this." she said, handing the paper to her. The archaeologist knew Nami had been eager to know what was going on in the world.

She opened it immediately, browsing for any reports on what happened in Dressrosa, anything about Doflamingo, news of the other allied pirate crews, to see if the bounties on the heads of the Strawhats had gone up. And most importantly, to see if there was any thing about Kaido or his whereabouts. The only thing they had learnt so far was that Trafalgar Law had been stripped of his Shichibukai title for allying with their crew.

"Nothing!" She said, as she angrily turned the pages, then flicked through backwards once she'd gotten to the end.

"Perhaps the World Government is not going to report the story. It wouldn't be the first time they'd done something like that." Robin reasoned. The calm tone to her voice did nothing to comfort the navigator.

"Fair enough to leave us and the Heart Pirates out if it, but there's nothing about anything. It's a newspaper completely devoid of news!" Her frustration caused her to unconsciously screw up the publication in her hand. Nami was a little unnerved. 'Had they started something massive?' She thought to herself.

Something just felt wrong.

"Can I have the paper, Nami-san?" Penguin asked her.

She held out her arm, offering him the creased newspaper. She was too lost in thought to answer him verbally. Her eyes wandering over a point on the deck as if searching for answers there, with what seemed like a million questions going through her mind.

She decided to take a shower, and to try and clear her mind.

* * *

"I'll have to stay here." Bepo started to explain. "The captain still hasn't fully recovered yet, so he can't leave. Since he didn't wake at all yesterday, I'll just let him rest in his quarters. I left a mini den den mushi by his bed, and I'll keep this one." he said, pulling a snail out of his pocket that was wearing a replica of Law's hat.

"I'd better stay behind as well, just in case he needs any treatment." Chopper said.

Nami imagined that part of the reason why they both wanted to stay behind was because of the stifling heat that the jungle would spew. A reindeer and a polar bear are bound to suffer in that sweltering environment.

The shoals around the island were too shallow for either ship to approach. They would have to make berth a fair way out to sea, and go ashore on-board Mini Merry.

The Heart pirates had two skiffs at their disposal, each being able to hold five people. Shachi would steer one, with Jean, Zoro, Kin'emon & Momonosuke. Penguin the other, carrying Franky, Robin and Brooke. Luffy, Sanji and Usopp would travel in Merry.

With all their supplies packed, the three vessels were soon headed inland, leaving Nami and Chopper with the remainder of Law's crew. Usopp suffered a bout of 'If-I-go-to-that-island-I'll-die disease', but Luffy dragged him off kicking and screaming anyway.

Nami was excited for some peace and quite. She had no intention of tutoring Bepo today. This was a perfect opportunity to plot some of the data she's collected from utilising the equipment on Law's sub. As she made her way up to the library, she found herself thinking of the Dark Doctor. She was glad he did not wake at all yesterday. If she was honest with herself, she was still a little embarrassed by how she had teased him the other night, but she couldn't stop herself. It wasn't the first time either, his reactions to her compelled Nami to do it again. She also had to get her money back from him somehow. He'd taken back the belli she had tricked him out of by using his Devil Fruit ability. One moment she was daring him to try and steal it from her, one hand on her Clima-tact, the other on her hip. The next minute it was gone from her bikini top, and in his hand at the other side of the room.

It was his own fault though any way, she told herself. Why was he talking about buying her a nurses outfit? It was playful and flirtatious, and Nami would never use either of those words to describe Law's character. As soon as he mentioned 'Nurse Nami' she instantly thought of how her hands were on his chest when he awoke earlier that day, and mainly there because of their poker night.

When she planted the cards on him during their game, that was all she initially planned to do. That, and tease him a bit of course, she had to distract him, but she wasn't the least bit interested in him. Once she had her hands on him though, it was a different story. She enjoyed his intense dark stare, peering up at her from beneath the peak of his hat. His torso was something else entirely. He felt like taut velvet over hard steel. Nami had to force herself to continue to 'search' him.

She walked straight past her desk in the library, running her fingers over the surface as she did. The room was too stuffy, so she opened all the windows before sitting down on the green bench that encircled the book repository. Nami looked out to sea for a moment, then cast her eyes down towards the yellow submarine that was tethered to Sunny. Her eyes fixed on the word 'Death'.

'Law already tried to end the alliance, which surely means that in his head we are enemies' Nami thought to herself. She didn't doubt that he would be attracted to her. 'I am cute, and have a nice body … is he going to try and kidnap me?' Nami thought to herself. Was he just acting less cold because of whatever medication Chopper has got him on? Or, was he trying to lure her in, to use, and to hurt her? She was the weakest member of the Strawhat crew, she was bound to be his target. Something like that would force Luffy to break away from their alliance.

Either way, she didn't know. Nami was not going to chance getting close enough to find out. Trafalgar Law was strong, cunning and sadistic. She wouldn't put anything past him, assuming he'd go to any length to achieve what he wanted: The dissolution of the alliance.

The more she thought about Law, the more Nami started to second guess herself. She already thought Law was 'tall, dark, and gorgeous', there was no denying it. He was a mature man, unlike the idiots that resided on the Thousand Sunny with her. The confidence he boasted was definitely appealing. The sadistic glint in his eye, and the smirk on his face; both terrified yet excited her. She couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her lips as she thought about that expression on his face. Her hand reaching up to cover her mouth, not that anyone was there too see her grin. Even that sullen frown he wore when things weren't going his way, it was endearing, and cute. "And that voice!" She actually said out loud. She melted a little by the thought of how he'd moaned when she ran her knuckles down his spine. It would be okay if he was one of her nakama, but he wasn't.

'Maybe it's just safer to keep away from him entirely' she said to herself with a sigh. She couldn't let herself be taken advantage of, especially because of the position it could put the rest of her crew in. 'He's a cold hearted horrible bastard, with a nasty reputation. He's creepy, and bossy, and I don't trust him' she finished telling herself, then Nami moved to her desk to try and get some work done.

* * *

_On arriving at Zou, the 'Swirly-eyebrow crew', as Nami had jokingly named them, had a hard time locating The Heart pirates. The vivre card Nami had received from Law was pointing inland, so she and Sanji disembarked to look for the other crew._

_The island wasn't overly large. Nami and her escort had walked the breadth of it in less than three hours, following the vivre card, that was now seemingly pointing out to sea. Instead of calling the ship to have Chopper and Brook bring it round, Sanji suggested that the pair of them walk back, and pick up supplies in town on their way. She had her reservations about the real reason Sanji suggested that they walk, other than wanting to spend another three hours alone with her, but they did need to stock up._

_They ignored the town at the centre of the island, it would have been too far to carry all the goods they needed. Instead, they opted for shopping at the seaport where Sunny was docked. It was a quiet, but beautiful harbour. Slate covered houses adored the narrow winding streets leading to the shopping district. The awnings of the wind swept shops were tattered and torn, and bleached from the sunlight. The picturesque quays where charming, despite the plethora of stores selling beach wear, surfing wax, and brightly decorated boards._

_Nami was pleased with herself for not succumbing to every bikini that she saw. She only bought two, after haggling for a seventy percent discount. Sanji was more than happy to let her try on every style in the first shop they went in. He probably would have been happy to let her do that all day, but they still had to find the Heart Pirates._

_They only restocked the essentials for the ship. The pantry, and Chopper came to meet them so they could get medical supplies. Their current enemy, and his volume of followers, made them think there would be some casualties after the forthcoming battle._

_They bought there evening meal from a vendor upon the wharf. The proprietor claimed it was their towns local delicacy. I was just a simple meal of battered fish, and deep fried potatoes, but it was delicious. Chopper carried everyone's food back to the ship, while Nami ate hers on the way._

_The sun had already begun to set. The evenings sky was now a multitude of different shades. Pinks and purples being more noticeable as the suns rays reflected off the underside of the clouds, as it finally sunk beneath the horizon. Pale orange, yellow, and white lights illuminated the wharf, and added warmth to the town. Nami enjoyed her walk back to The Thousand Sunny. It helped her forget that her friends were off fighting._

_The Strawhats were still determined to find the Heart pirates today. They immediately set sail after they'd consumed their food, following the vivre card around the island, then out to sea. It wasn't long after sailing past the island that the card in Nami's hand jumped backwards._

_"Stop, the ship!" she ordered. "We've sailed past them. Sanji-kun, can you use your haki to try and find them?"_

_"I'll try Nami-swan~" Sanji practically sang. He stood at the hand rail on the lawn deck and cast his eyes out to sea, and began searching in all directions. Nami stood next to him, straining her eyes in the dark._

_"Are you sure, Nami-san? I can't sense them anywhere." The cook explained._

_"Yes I'm sure. The vivre card was pointing dead ahead, then mid-jump it changed direction and started to head towards me. We've gone past them." She assured him._

_"I'll go and get Brook to help us turn the ship round. Chopper can guard Caesar." Sanji said, before dropping his cigarette over the side of Sunny, and lighting a new one._

_Nami watched the red glow of the falling butt as it descended towards the ocean. As she gazed towards the dark depths she was sure she could see a faint light below the surface. She continued to stare at it. She'd never seen bioilluminescent phytoplankton before, only heard of it._

_"Sanji-kun?" She called to him, after deciding it wasn't what she thought it was. Nami waved him over with her hand without removing her gaze from the water. "What does that look like to you?" she asked him and pointed to the strange underwater light when he was stood at her side._

_The pair kept their eyes fixed on the water. "Chopper can get in the Shark Submerge III, he'll be easy for them to recognize, and I'll control the solider deck system." Sanji said before going off to find the doctor. A few moments later and number three was displayed on the hull of the Thousand Sunny, and the shark emerged out the side of the ship._

_As he began his descend in the Shark Submerge, Nami wondered how Chopper was actually going to communicate with the other vessel. She was sure he didn't know Morse code, or any nautical signals to tell Law's men that they needed to resurface. After what appeared to be a strong light shining towards what she imagined was the bow of the other submarine, both crafts started to ascend to the surface._

_Nami wanted this to go as smoothly as possible, so she stripped down to the yellow bikini top that she bought earlier, denim shorts, and she untied hair. Sanji was pleased with her present appearance, until he realised that it was done for the Heart Pirates. She was going to rule them. She'd already decided._

_The submarine closed the distance between them, and stopped so they were parallel. Sanji stood protectively next to Nami as three figures emerged through an oversized door on the other ship._

_"Which shitty bastard is in charge?" Sanji demanded._

* * *

After a couple of hours of hard work on her map Nami decided it was time for a well earned break. She headed down to the kitchen to get a snack and a drink. She stopped outside the galley when she heard Bepo start talking.

"Why would Nami-san not wish to go ashore with the rest of the crew?" the polar bear asked.

Nami looked down to the lawn deck to see Chopper on the swing, and Bepo lying on the grass, with his Captain resting against him.

"I think it might be because of the prehistoric disease Nami caught once. I don't know really know what happened, it was before I joined. I know she was running around in a jungle though." Chopper explained. "If she hadn't have gotten sick, I wouldn't be on the crew."

Nami entered the galley at that point, she didn't need to eavesdrop on what they were talking about. She went to the fridge and took out the jug of orange juice that Sanji had made for her. She placed it on a tray, along with four glasses, and a couple of straws, and took it outside to offer to everyone.

She set the tray down on the bench surrounding the main mast. Nami poured a drink for Bepo first, placing a straw in his glass because his movements would be limited if he didn't want to disturb his captain. The bear couldn't control his elated reaction to the cold beverage, and Law stirred from his slumber.

"Orange juice?" Nami asked him. He opened one eye to look upon her face and nodded in response. He thanked her when she handed him the glass. She poured a glass for Chopper, who stilled the swing in order to take the drink from her, then she sat on bench round the mast to enjoy her own.

She wasn't quite sure how to act around Law today. He seemed to have gone back to his usual quite self, so maybe his actions the other day were a one off? Nami found herself a little disappointed by his lack of interest, despite the fact that she had earlier been building up a mental defence against him.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of LawNa, just needed to build the story a bit. 
> 
> I decided that since Luffy probably doesn't even know Law has a sub (because he was unconscious most of the time he was on it), then the rest of the crew probably wouldn't know either.
> 
> It was so odd referring to meals as breakfast, lunch and dinner. To me, it's breakfast, dinner and tea! but I didn't want to confuse anyone with my Britishisms. I've baffled people before with the concept of eating tea.
> 
> 10th May 2014


	4. Distrust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, the lucky guy!

* * *

****

As the midday sun crept over head, the remaining pirates headed for shade on board the Thousand Sunny. The day was much too hot for Nami to walk around in anything more than a bikini. She's chosen to wear her recently purchased yellow one again today, with her lilac sunglasses perched on top of her head. She'd hadn't worn the outfit since the Strawhats first met the Heart Pirates.

Nami decided that she would go through a few things with Bepo after all. It was either that, or sitting on deck, possibly enduring an awkward silence because of Trafalgar Law. She wasn't too sure how she was supposed to act around him now, and the solitude she had hoped for wasn't going to be possible without her coming across as being rude. So, Nami led Bepo up to the library, while Chopper went with Law to the infirmary to change his dressings. The injured Hearts captain was strong enough to generate his room now, so he kept using that as his means to get around, as walking still seemed a chore. Law appeared in the library just after she'd just finished giving Bepo a rough outline on fluid dynamics, and handed him a book on magneto-hydrodynamics. She knew it may be far too advanced for him, but it couldn't hurt for him to have a read through.

Law sat down on the bench and started to inspect his healing wounds. His expression gave away no sign that he was either pleased or unhappy with his treatment. Chopper had obviously decided that his injuries no longer needed to be covered, so he must have been doing quite well. Nami tried to keep her eyes off him as he examined his own chest. The shirtless man then stood up and moved to her personal bookshelf, he started to run his index finger along the spine of every book.

"Astronomy, Cartography, Celestial Navigation, Meteorology, Physical Oceanography, … Do you not have anything interesting?" the Dark Doctor asked.

"Those books are interesting. If they displease you, then maybe you should read one of Luffy's!" Nami said as she sat down at her desk.

"Which are Luffy's?" He asked her with a bored tone.

"He doesn't have any." she said, not lifting her eyes from the map she'd been drawing earlier.

She heard Law chuckle, then he moved to the other side of the room to browse whatever books were sat on those shelves. Nothing seemed to interest him, so he went back to her private collection, and picked out the one on cartography.

Their eyes met as he sat down on the bench, his face was unreadable. He opened the book and began to flick through it, completely ignoring her as she continued to watch him. She turned back to her map in irritation.

"When do you want your money, Nami-ya?"

"What money?" Nami asked, confused. She turned in her chair to face him with a bewildered expression plastered to her face. She waited a few moments before twisting back around when he failed to look up at her.

The Surgeon of Death kept his eyes on the pages of the book he was reading, and said "For the massage the other night"

Nami stiffened in her seat as it felt like the bottom of her stomach had fallen out. Her face felt hot, and her chest tight. Through the sound of her own heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears, she just about heard Bepo drop the book he was reading.

"I'm sorry." he said. Then scrambled to pick it up again. Nami didn't dare to turn around in case she caught Law's eyes.

She had momentarily forgotten that she'd teased him and told him to pay her. The worry of this morning's newspaper had affected her more than she realised. She would never usually forget about money owed to her. She wasn't going to refuse the belli, but she had sort of said it in jest.

"Since you've brought it up, you can pay me now." Nami told him, trying to keep her cool. Still refusing to look at him.

"I'll give it you tomorrow then." he informed her.

Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger then."Don't ask me when I want it and then decide you are going to give it to me at a time of your own choosing!" She snarled at him. Turning around in her fury to see him smirking into the book he was reading. His devilish smile completely disarmed her, which in turn, infuriated her further. He looked up at her then, catching the sight of her during her rage. Fist still clenched and poised ready to strike, her angry face flushed dark red.

Trafalgar Law closed the book he was reading, and placed it on the seat. "Shall I go and get it now for you then?" he said. Again, his face a stoic mask, not giving her the slightest inclination as to what was actually going through his head.

Nami turned around again to get back to her map. "You're going to do whatever you want anyway, so why ask?!"

She heard a low chuckle from Law as he picked up the book and continued to read it. Nami decided then that she wasn't going to speak to him for a while, but her resolve would not last too long.

"And I want the money you stole from me the after Punk Hazard!" She was so angry with him, she thought she might as well throw that in, too.

"You mean the money you stole from me, which I took back?" He asked.

"Yes, that!" Nami boldly said as she turned to face him again.

Law refused to look up at her as he spoke, "Then you'll have to steal it back from me. You're welcome to search me for it." he finished with a yawn.

* * *

The Surgeon of Death had given up looking through the book on cartography which now sat on his knee. His eyes were fixed on Nami's left shoulder, on her tattoo, and the very obvious scar that could be seen beneath it. 'A cover up' he thought to himself. Trafalgar Law couldn't stop his mind from recalling the conversation he'd had with Nico Robin that morning. She'd hinted at a troubled past, and that Nami was very distrustful.

_"Tora-o, how does it feel to be saved by the God, Usopp?" The sniper asked him as Law emerged on deck of the Thousand Sunny. The Surgeon of Death didn't know how to respond, since he wasn't even saved by him. He just put it down to the idiotic antics of The Strawhat crew. Law just nodded and continued to walk to the galley for breakfast. He could hear Luffy shouting for land from the direction of the ship's figurehead. He was grateful. He knew the younger captain had an ardent lust for exploration, and that the minute they docked, he be off. Luffy disappearance moments after arriving on Dressrosa had proven that he was more than likely right in his assumption._

_He opened the door to the galley to find Penguin sat with Nico Robin at the table, and Sanji preparing food in the kitchen._

_"I'll sort you some breakfast in a minute." The words left the cooks mouth amidst a cloud of blue-grey smoke._

_Law sat down at what had become his usual spot at the table, Bepo on the bench behind him._

_He eyed Penguin who was sat opposite him, reading the paper. "Anything interesting?" Law asked his crew mate._

_"Nothing at all." Penguin informed him._

_"Nothing, really?" Law asked, furrowing his brow._

_"Nami-san had the same reaction." Nico Robin chimed. She rested her elbow on the table, and held her head in her hand. An amused smile crept over her lips as she examined Law's face._

_"But, captain," Penguin began, "It does say 'Be persistent and don't give up the fight today. It might seem as if you aren't making progress and that it's harder to make decisions about anything. You'll find that other people are just as confused as you. Find a clever way to express what you feel. You can sort the issues out with the help of others as long as you're in touch with your inner state.' - is what your star sign says"_

_"I thought only women read Horoscopes, Penguin." Law quipped._

_Sanji put a plate of onigiri in front of him, then handed one to Bepo. They both thanked the man, and began eating. Trafalgar Law felt a little bad for embarrassing Penguin. He only did it because that passage kind of struck a cord. He was confused, and talking of expressing feelings only led his thoughts to one person, who he was convinced he didn't have feeling for. At least admitted to himself that that person made his decision making difficult._

_"Read mine, Penguin-san. Aquarius." Nico Robin asked, obviously trying to make him feel better. She blew on her steaming cup of tea before taking a sip._

_With a smile he read hers out load "'You may feel rather lazy and out of touch today. It could be that your emotions have taken a stronger hold on your psyche than your rational way of thinking. Therefore, making decisions might be quite difficult. In matters of the heart, you could feel a bit more romantic than usual. There is a great sentimental mood to the day that's causing you to empathize with others.'"_

_"Thank you, Penguin-san." Robin said, with the same smile on her face that she had earlier. Penguin seemed to have forgotten any embarrassment he'd felt._

_"Law! How are you feeling" the reindeer asked as he entered the galley. "You didn't wake up at all yesterday!"_

_"Better." the Dark Doctor announced. "Room" he said as he accessed his devil fruit ability, then allowing his room to collapse again. "I didn't have the stamina for that thirty six hours ago." He put another piece of Onigiri in his mouth._

_"I'll be staying behind to continue your treatment, anyway." Chopper said happily, then left the galley shouting after Franky._

_Law did not mind the Strawhat's doctor, so staying in his company wouldn't be vexing, not compared to some of the others at least._

_"It seems you have won over two out of the three, now." Nico Robin noted out loud._

_Trafalgar Law look at her inquisitively._

_"The three who opposed the alliance. Chopper respects you as a fellow doctor, and Usopp trusts you after our time together on Green Bit. There's only Nami-san left." the raven haired woman explained._

_"Nami-san likes us well enough. We got to know her well while you were all on Dressrosa. Lots of drinking, and games." Penguin informed them._

_"Accepting you for the sake of the alliance, and actually trusting you are two entirely different things." That statement from Robin made Law remember Nami's blatant objection to their coalition, and all the awful things she'd called him since they met._

_"Were you on Luffy's crew before her." Penguin asked, scratching his head beneath his hat._

_"No."_

_"So what made her accept you?" Law quizzed. His interest piqued a little more than he would comfortably admit._

_"She made it very clear that she did not trust me, and referred to everyone else as 'idiots' for doing so. At Alabasta, I gave her a purse of Crocodiles jewels, and that quietened her. It wasn't until Enies Lobby that I knew she trusted me."_

_"That's about a quarter of the Grand Line!" Penguin blurted out in shock._

_"She worked out why I handed myself over to the World Government, back on Water 7. I think that's when she knew she trusted me. She's intuitive like that. She worked out your plan too. With Caesar and Momonosuke, I mean."_

_Trafalgar Law examined her expression. She'd kept the same smile on her face from the moment he sat at the table. Why was she telling them all this? And saying that Nami had managed to see both of their true motives? Did Nico Robin want him to try and earn Nami's trust, or was she telling not to bother trying because it would take too long?_

_As if she had read his mind, Robin said "The Foxy Pirates constantly made japes about her lack of trust during our Davy Back Fight. They did cheat, but her mistrust went beyond that" She turned her eyes on Law then, an said "Nami is too guarded. A lot has happened to her, mentally and physically."_

_Nico Robin picked up her cup of tea, and swilled it round the cup before finished it. She got up and placed the empty vessel on the counter and left the room._

_Was Nico Robin just making what she deemed idle conversation, or was she trying to ward him off? And if so, why? What had she meant by Nami being hurt mentally and physically, what had happened to her? Why was she protecting the younger woman? The thought did cross his mind that maybe she wanted him for herself. He wasn't being unjustly cocksure, he was accustomed to the cunning, and the forwardness of women with a lust to sate. Years of being a pirate had shown him the many different sides to people, and how hedonistic ways always got the better of them._

_Of course he had thought about Nico Robin. What warm blooded male wouldn't with her Devil Fruit power? He wasn't even the sexually submissive type, but he would entertain the idea because of the pleasurable possibilities that her ability promised._

_What ever his thoughts of her, Law had gotten the impression that she was spoken for anyway, not that that would stop her. After being chained up on Punk Hazard with the Strawhats, White Chaser, and the weakling, he'd noticed that the Archaeologist and the cyborg seemed to cosy up together in the corner. It didn't matter to him if she wasn't involved with the Shipwright, he would still not pursue Nico Robin. The raven haired woman wasn't his type._

_Even though Nami was feisty, he knew she was secretly tender. That steely façade was to keep everyone at bay, but he's seen behind it, briefly. After seeing how she was with children she'd only just met, and the worry she felt for everyone on Dressrosa, he knew she was a loyal and passionate person, not the cold hearted bitch she pretended to be. They were the reasons that he wanted her, because she wasn't an average pirate. Not that any of the Strawhats were._

_Maybe that was why he found himself wanting to console her before they had left for Zou. That side of her brought out a protectiveness in him that he didn't know he had. 'A masculine instinct?' he wondered._

_In his world, women were either strong or obsequious. Nami was neither. She was on Luffy's crew because she was bold and brilliant. Physically weak, but mentally strong. Sexy, intelligent, and highly intuitive, and an excellent thief. Robin had told him how Nami deduced that there was more to Law's plan than he was letting on. So, she was the reason they didn't return to Dressrosa when Luffy asked them to, ensure Momonosuke and Caesar were kept away from The Donquixote Family. He didn't think any of the Strawhats could work him out. He warned other people not to underestimate them, but he was guilty of it himself._

* * *

"Why're you still here?" Nami blurted out, with a hint a anger in her voice.

The dark doctor furrowed his brows at her, seeming quite confused by her question.

"You already declared the alliance to be over, so why are you still here? Are you planning to kill us all in our sleep? Or just steal all of our hearts, and sail off into the night?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"After what happened to Joker, I think Kaido is going to come for both mine, and Luffy's head. We're stronger if we stand together." he informed her. "Besides, I honestly don't think I could ever get away from your crew. Your captain is too stubborn."

Nami thought that Law was stressed by those words. He was frowning as he spoke, possibly remembering everything Luffy and some of his crew had done to annoy him. Luffy was like an annoying little brother who always loved to tag along, and play. She could sympathise with Law, her crew's antics often stressed her out too.

"You're both stubborn." she said unapologetically.

"I probably should have taken you all a bit more seriously when you told me Mugiwara-ya saw the alliance as a friendship, and not a business arrangement. He keeps declaring me his friend, despite me saying I'm not. And that I'm his 'nakama'." Law said.

After contemplating her face for what seemed like forever, he asked, "You still don't trust me, do you? After all this time." his lips curling to a smile.

"No." she answered him, flatly. Her eyes moved to Bepo, who was currently trying sneak out of the library unnoticed.

"Your captain trusts me." Law stated, completely ignoring the bears exit.

"Well he shouldn't! He's an idiot who trusts people too easily." Nami said with a huff, and crossed her arms over her body.

"He trusts you too. Was he wrong in that?" the Dark Doctor teased her.

"Initially, yes!" Her answer took Law aback. His eyes widened with surprise, and what she thought was intrigue. "After rejecting his offer twice to join he crew, I agreed to help him, but only so I could use him as leverage to get what I wanted from Captain Buggy. Then I helped him escape, and we agreed to work together until it was no longer beneficial to either of us."

"So we're similar then, you and I. Both entering into an alliance with Luffy ..."

Nami cut him off then. "Mine wasn't an alliance like this is." she interjected "We were just temporally working together."

A low chuckle left his lips. "Semantics." He said with a smirk. "So what, then you just ultimately ended up joining the crew?" Law inquired as he got up from his seat.

"No, I stole his ship and all his treasure, and left them on the Baratie."

Trafalgar Law laughed at her, shaking his head with a smile. "So you don't trust me because you judge people by your own treacherous actions?"

She answered him with an angry glare.

"He came after you then, I take it? Did he give you this scar?" Law asked as he eyed her right shoulder, a line of flawed tissue was visible just next to the strap of her yellow bikini. He lightly ran his index finger along the scar before he sat down on the bench, right next to her desk.

"What? No!" Nami covered the mark with her left hand. She was horrified by his words. She'd gotten that scar from saving Luffy's life.

"Did he come after you though?"

"Yes, but not to fight me. He'd decided that I was going to be his navigator, no matter what." Her right hand protectively covered the scar and tattoo of her left shoulder as she spoke. "He didn't ask me to join though, he just declared that I was part of his crew. Once he decides something, that's it."

"It seems I am stuck with this crew then no matter what, doesn't it?!"

It was true, but she still wasn't sure she should trust him, even if her captain did.

Nami got up then to return one of the books on her desk to its rightful place within the library.

"Tora-o!" she said anxiously, kneeling on the bench to look out the window. She thought she could see a red figure sat on top of the crows nest. Law got up from his seat across the room and walked over to her. He stood behind her and placed his left hand on the window sill next to hers. That movement drew Nami's eyes, and she stared at DEATH written over the knuckles of his large hands.

She froze when she felt his naked chest touch her bare back as he leaned closer to the glass to look at the roof of the Crow's Nest. To her annoyance, she became aware of her heart hammering in her ribcage.

"Room"

The next moment she could see Law standing next to the figure she thought she had seen. His sword was drawn, and pressed against the neck of the intruder.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 22nd May 2014


	5. Thundersnow Tempo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece

* * *

 

 

Nami was frozen in place on the bench in the library, her eyes fixed on Trafalgar Law. She was relieved he was with her. He looked confident, like he'd fully recovered, but Nami knew that was not possible. Not with how weak he had been just two days prior. Walking was still very much an effort for him. She knew she would possibly have to fight too, but at least she wasn't alone.

She scanned the rest of the ship, briefly looking for more enemies, or a glimpse of Chopper or Bepo. When Nami saw no one else, she turned her attention back to the Surgeon of Death.

The intruder was gone! Law seemed as surprised by that as Nami was. The sadistic glint gone from his eyes as fear crept in them. He frantically looked around to try and find where the unwanted guest had disappeared to.

In the blink of an eye Law had vanished.

"Nami-ya!" he shouted behind her.

Startled, she turned around quickly, her sorcery Clima-Tact in hand. Law had brought a badly wounded Bepo with him. " I need you to treat him." he explained.

"What about Chopper? What was that on the roof?" she asked. Anxiety taking a hold of Nami as the thought of her nakama being in trouble became paramount.

"I couldn't see Tony-ya." he explained before turning to face her. His expression was grim. "Nami-ya, I need to fight. Whatever attacked Bepo is too powerful for anyone else here. I need you to treat him now or he's going to die!" His voice raised with an urgency that sent fear rippling through her body.

Nami approached the bear. She instantly dropped her Clima-Tact to the floor and it rang out as it hit the ceramic tiles. The sound echoing through her mind, acting as a shrill cry of terror for the macabre sight before her. She fell to the ground, casting her eyes over Bepo.

His breathing was slow and shallow. Hundreds of holes had been punctured into his black boiler suit, sections of the material entirely in tatters. 'What could have done this?' she asked herself. Her hands started to tremble as she reached for the zipper on his clothing. She heard Law generate his room then, leaving to do battle with whoever was out there. She worried for him. Whatever was on their ship was definitely strong, and maybe too strong for him in his current state.

Anguish settled in her heart again the second her attention was back on Bepo. She clenched her fists to try and steady them before unzipping his suit. She grabbed the piece of metal, and slowly dragged it down his body, trying not to injure him further. Tears quickly stung her eyes at the sight of his mutilated body. Nami brought her hands up to wipe them away, but more appeared in an instant. Not a tuft of the fur below Bepo's neck was still white. His flesh was shredded, muscle and fatty tissue exposed in the lacerations. "I can't ..." she sobbed into her hands.

A loud bang erupted from somewhere within The Thousand Sunny. Nami was sure it was coupled by creaks, and the splintering of wood. The trauma rocked the ship. The orange haired woman was suddenly aware of the crimson liquid than had begun to pool beneath the bear, and that was rapidly creeping towards her knees. There was an audible gulp from Nami as she tried to swallow down her tears, and distress. There was no way Nami could treat him, his wounds were too extensive for her skills. Every memory she had of him seemed to come to mind in that instant. All the laughs she had shared with him over the last few weeks. Helping him nurse a hangover. His generous and subservient demeanour … everything.

Nami cut off her train of thought then. She frantically wiped her face, and tried to regain her composure. This wasn't her area of expertise, but there was no way she was going to let him die, not without even trying! She shot up to get some medical supplies, when her patient quickly disappeared before her eyes.

Relief washed over her then, and her legs faltered. Nami hit the floor, both knees crashing into the hard tiles, but she didn't feel any pain. Adrenaline, and her conflicting emotions kept it at bay. She knew Law had moved him, that surely had meant he'd found Chopper, and that he was okay. That meant that she could no longer fail Bepo, her friend. His life wasn't in her hands any more.

The hand that was placed on her shoulder brought Nami rapidly back to her dangerous reality. Her hands shot up to push away the figure in front of her, but froze on his chest as clarity returned. "Nami-ya" he said reassuringly, his fingers moving to lightly rest on the nape of the neck. She searched his eyes for hope, but those yellow diamonds glimmered with too many emotions that she couldn't read.

"Law," she whimpered. The frown deepened on his face when she said his name. "Are they gone?"

"No." he replied solemnly.

"Who are they?" she pleaded, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

"Kaido's men, I think. There's a frog, and an alligator." Law stood up then, dragging a lock of Nami's hair through his fingers as he did.

"An alligator!" she voiced out load. The horrific injuries Bepo sustained finally making sense to her.

"It currently has some of Zoro-ya's weights lodged in its jaw. My strength is failing. I can't keep my room up to fight it effectively." He explained as he looked out the window. "Do you have a den den mushi?"

"There is one in the galley."

Trafalgar Law crossed the room to where Nami was sat, he picked up her Clima-Tact on the way.

"I'll take you there, and then I'll try and finish these guys off." As that final word left his mouth, he had taken them into the galley, a few feet below there previous spot. "Call your crew back." he instructed her.

"Wait. I can fight!" Nami informed him, despite being terrified by what had happened to the Bepo.

"No. Once you have called them, just stay in here!" Law ordered, then vanished before she could protest.

Nami chased after him with the intention to fight, but she froze once she got to the doorway. Through the small port hole within the door she caught sight of a terrifying reptile, which was towering over Law. Fully transformed, his opponent must have been twice his height. Its unforgiving jaws quickly snapped for him. Law's hat fell from his head as he barely evaded the attack, drawing Kikoku as he moved.

The alligator was unrelenting. Never once giving Law time to stand up and fight honourably. Him constantly swinging his sword in defence, and stumbling out of reach when it repeatedly lunged its powerful jaws, trying to devour him. Nami could tell in the few brief moments she had been watching, that Law's speed was diminishing. The ferocious assault taking a hard toll on the already wounded man.

The red figure she had spotted earlier leapt down on to the deck from some unseen height. The frog drew Law's attention away from his opponent, and the alligator quickly took advantage. The reptile flexed its tail than brutally whipped its enemy. Law cried out in agony as the appendage struck his legs. The alligator hastily followed its attack with its powerful mouth, and moved to seize him.

Nami did not see Law evade the assault, but as the reptile dislodged its teeth from the splintered deck, Law scrambled to his feet after literally just escaping the jaws of death.

It was now two on one, so Nami decided she had to even the playing field. She placed her Clima-Tact on the floor to force cold air beneath the door, and cool the atmosphere on deck in preparation for her mirage tempo. She gathered all the strength she could muster before gripping the handle of the galley door. It was going to be a tough battle. Nami knew she might have to fight with a bit of restraint, she couldn't risk her lightning attacks striking Law as well as their enemies.

Nami stepped out of the galley, concealed by the invisible barrier of her Mirage Tempo. Years of being a thief had taught her to move in silence. She just had to hope neither one of them had haki, otherwise her stealth would be rendered useless. She crept down the stairs to the lawn deck, keeping both her enemies in sight. Nami released two dark clouds as she descended.

Trafalgar Law savagely swung his sword at the frog man in front him. His opponent leapt high into the air, over Nami's head, and dropped back down on the walkway outside the galley. She raced up the steps again after him, releasing a final dark cloud on her way. Nami held out a segment of her Clima-Tact, and blasted the red frog with her gust sword. The action broke her mirage. She heard Law practically snarl her name when she became visible. Nami kept her eyes forward, and paid him no mind.

The powerful current swept her opponent up off the deck. It should have been enough to throw him over board, but the amphibian was clever enough to spit out his tongue and latch on to the hand rail. Once her attack had wilted to a gentle breeze, the frog reeled himself back in, and leapt behind her to block her escape. "You fell for it!" she laughed at her opponent, and stuck her tongue out at him.

The dark clouds rumbled, then fulminated around him, sending volts of electricity surging through his body. The hairs on Nami's arms stood on end from the static, and her close proximity. The frog man fell unconscious and turned back into his original physical form. A red haired man lay belly up on the deck, smoke spewing from his open mouth. The navigator felt a little sick by the smell he gave off. She noticed his feet were burnt to a crisp. The remaining static within the clouds popped and fizzed before they slowly dissipated.

"Nami-ya! Get back inside." The Heart's captain shouted to her.

She turned her attention then to Trafalgar Law and the alligator. It seemed he'd had some luck in injuring the reptile. Large gashes adored its snout, and blood steadily wept from the wounds. There was a desperation in his voice that made her think he needed help. His torn jeans, and the blood drenching the very top of his thigh confirmed her thoughts, in her opinion.

She kept her position at the top of the stairs, and deftly spun her full length Clima-Tact above her head. After a few revolutions she brought her weapon down in front of her, and held it in a defensive stance. "Black Ball!" Nami shouted, and dozens of tiny black clouds encased in bubbles emerged in a chain from the tip of her staff. The clouds buzzed with power. Electrical energy rapidly building until the bubbles they were confined to became unable to contain them.

The first bubble popped, it surface breaking up into a fine mist, causing the next to burst, and so on in a domino effect. The clouds amalgamated to form a long dark chain. Nami skilfully whirled around, then whipped the clouds at the alligator, striking him perfectly on his head. Law had enough stamina to generate his room to get himself out of the way before the lightning erupted. White sparks engulfed the reptile. Temporary paralysis immobilised him, but Nami knew the attack was not powerful enough to defeat him. He was still fully transformed.

Law sheathed his sword, grabbed Nami's arm, and dragged her a couple of paces towards the door to the galley.

"What are you doing?" She yelled at him, tearing her arm from his grip.

"I told you … " he started before Nami cut him off.

"You're not my captain. You can't order me to do anything!"

Pain and fatigue were etched on to his face. His breathing heavy. The injury she spotted before on his leg had bled so much that his vital fluid had stained his jeans to just below the knee. An angry scar would form on Law's flesh from where his opponent snagged his right thigh. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, he needed her help.

"I'm not ordering you, then. I'm asking you." he said as he grabbed her left arm, and gently tried to coax her into moving.

The comforting static hum from her Thunder Cloud strike suddenly fell silent. Nami turned her head to the side and noticed that the atmosphere had equalized, the clouds surrounding their enemy had vanished. The alligator was poised for an attack. It moved so swiftly that Nami knew she could not get her body to react in time to evade the lunge it was making for her and Law.

Nami was painfully tackled to the ground. Her head slamming into the deck with such a force that her mind went blank for a moment. All the air was knocked out of her lungs as a heavy weight fell on top of her. Trafalgar Law's face was a scant distance from her own, he was mouthing something to her, but in her confounded state she could not hear him.

Her head was turned to the side then as Law removed his hand from the back of her skull, and began to untangle their bodies. 'Did he just?' was all the question Nami's hazy mind could internally form, while trying to decide if Law had just purposely protected her head as he'd dragged her to the ground. As he pulled his right arm from under her and began to push up, Nami's left arm slid along his limb, and was forced up into the air. She caught sight of blood gushing down her arm.

Law quickly grabbed her hand and inspected the wound. "It must have just caught you" he explained with a troubled frown. Since neither of them were really wearing any clothes to speak of, the Surgeon of Death cut a strip of material from the bottom of his jeans, and made a tourniquet which he placed on her left biceps. He stood up then, and offered his hand to help Nami to her feet.

The alligator had it's teeth stuck into the side of the ship. He changed form to dislodge himself, then immediately turned back into the ferocious predator. Nami had already begun cooling the atmosphere out on deck the second her mind was coherent again. She hoped a dramatic change in temperature would slow the cold-blooded reptile.

"Tora-o, can you take us? I have an idea." Nami asked as she pointed to the top deck at the front of the ship. She couldn't tell if the look in his eyes was disapproval or pain, but he nodded his head and they were instantly placed next to the helm. Trafalgar Law sat down at the wheel straight away. The teleportation obviously taking a great toll on him.

Nami continued to cool the air on deck as she observed the alligator. Their opponent's cold green eyes never left them as it took it's time traversing the Thousand Sunny. When the reptile finally reached the lawn deck, Nami swung her staff and cast a single weather egg into the sky. The alligator stopped for a moment, possibly expecting a repeat of her previous attack. A low rumble left it's snout, and he then continued to stalk towards the double curved staircase.

Law stood up from the bench and positioned himself beside her. He drew his sword again, and readied himself to attack. "What are you doing Nami-ya?"

"Snow clouds." she said quietly. In that moment, a dark blanket of cloud filled the sky, and precipitation began to fall.

The warm day, and Nami's cooling technique, created enough atmospheric instability to intensify her next attack. She whirled her Clima-Tact, and slung another weather egg into the storm.

Her eyes fixed on the top of the stairs, checking to see if the reptile to come back into view. His snout now poking up as he was just reacting the top. "Tora-o." she said looking up at him. His dark expression matched the clouds over their heads. "Can you take us back?" she asked, pointing towards the galley.

The blue film of his room swelled around them before he transported them to the opposite side of the lawn deck. Nami stepped back, then observed Law as he watched the alligator. It sluggishly searched the helm for them. It's movements slowed by the cold temperature, a white blanket lay along it's back. She noticed that the snow melted the second it came into contact with Law's body.

Her eye's lingered on him a little too long, but thankfully not enough for him to notice. Nami swept her Clima-Tact in the direction of the newly released weather egg. "Hatch, Thunder-chan." she instructed. As commanded, a little black nebula emerged from the egg, then grew into a large dark cumulonimbus. It immediately mixed with the snow cloud, and a blinding white flash illuminated the ship, muffled thunder rumbled seconds later.

The surprised alligator looked up into the storm. Nami used her weapon to drag the lightning out of the cloud, and guide it to strike him on the top of his head. "Thundersnow Tempo!" she announced, as the white hot fork of electricity entered his body. The accompanying thunder erupted as a deafening boom, both Law and Nami had to cover their ears.

Trafalgar Law moved quickly then, generating his room, then appearing next to the helm. He slashed Kikoku towards the stunned reptile and bisected it. Then, he levitated it's body over the side of the ship, and dropped it into the ocean.

"Nami!" she heard the reindeer shout. She noticed then that the frog man had disappeared, and ran round the corner to where Chopper would exit the infirmary. "What was that deafening sound?" he inquired.

The frog man leapt down on to the hand rail behind Chopper. Nami grabbed his antler and pulled him out of the way, aiming her Clima-Tact at the amphibian, and firing her gust sword. Once again, he shot out his tongue. This time it coiled around the wrist of her wounded arm. Chopper quickly grabbed hold of her and the hand rail, the strong wind current threatening to drag her off too. Nami refused to stop the torrent, trying to shake off the intruder, but his grip was too tight. A blue film engulfed the ship, then the tongue of the frog was slit in half, and he flew off into the sea.

Nami violently shook the appendage off her wrist. Visible green residue covered her arm, and a light burning sensation began at her wound, and spread throughout her forearm. "Shower Tempo" she said, and began to rinse the gunk from her skin.

She twisted her arm, inspecting it to make sure it was clean. The burning hadn't dissipated, so she was sure some residue still remained. She stopped and stared when she noticed her whole arm was shaking. Was it from blood loss? Fear? The entire battle finally catching up, and overwhelming her?

Nami suddenly felt very hot, and extremely light headed. She raised her right hand to stop her head from lulling. Darkness crept into the edges of her vision, her sight slowly blurred until she was unable to focus her eyes. 'A poisonous frog' her mind recognized from somewhere. An intense ringing began in her ears, blocking out any future sounds. Nami felt her self falling forward, but was unable to do anything about it. Arms wrapped around her, and her body crashed into someone as darkness took her.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yea, I totally made up an attack for Nami! But, it is something she is 100% capable of producing (and Thundersnow is a real thing!). So, I hope I didn't upset anyone by that. We saw her trying to create snow clouds in 718 against Jora, before her Clima-Tact was turned into a piece of art. 
> 
> (If it turns out that this is one of Nami's future attacks, I might just have a heart attack and die! In a good way, of course)
> 
> 29th May 2014


	6. Dr. Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, not me.

* * *

 

Nami awoke to a soothing warmth. One so comforting it brought a smile to face. Refusing to open her eyes and stir completely, she just blissfully buried herself deeper in thermal luxury.

After a moment, Nami became aware of the swallow rise and fall of her pillow. She tilted her head up slightly when she thought she heard a steady beat. She frantically jerked away from her comfort as something tickled her nose and top lip when she inhaled. The tingling was so intense she aggressively rubbed her whole face to expel the itch. Nami noticed her bandaged arm then, and wondered how she'd not just ripped out the IV from her hand.

Her eyes darted then to see a rousing Trafalgar Law. She assumed the plumage of his sweater was sucked up her nose during the intake of breath, and that was what had tickled her.

"Get out of my bed!" she ordered. Moving away from him quickly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nami screamed at him. Then a violent shiver surged through her body. She grabbed the mountain of blankets that were covering her, and wrapped them tightly round her freezing anatomy.

"That." he answered in reply to her question, as he moved away from the bed. "You have a fever, and no matter how many blankets or quilts I covered you with, you still wouldn't stop shivering." he explained, watching her cautiously through narrowed eyes.

"That doesn't give you any right to climb into bed with me!" Nami shouted back at him. She actually felt a bit grateful for the blush that had crept onto her cheeks. At least her face felt a little warm, even if nowhere else did.

"I'm simply a doctor, doing all that I can to look after my patient." Law said, his eyes were fixed on her, as he leant against one of the counters.

That remark angered Nami further. She huffed, and turned her head away from him. She knew he was telling the truth though, she had been cold since she'd away moved from the warmth of his body. She only noticed then that she was on board his submarine, and not in her own bed.

Law walked over to her then with a thermometer in his hand. He grabbed her chin like she was a child, and pushed the glass instrument through her lips. Nami scowled at him, pulling the outermost blanket to sit over her head like a hood. She fought, but couldn't suppress the trembling of her body.

"100.1, it's gone down a bit." Law said as he looked to where the red liquid had crept up to on the thermometer's scale.

Nami didn't say anything in response. She just silently shivered where she sat on the bed. She briefly remembered how she thought Law had protected her head, whilst dragging her to the ground, in their fight against the alligator. And that he'd just been innocently giving her warmth. 'He's not all bad' she thought to herself then. She watched him as he cleaned the thermometer.

"Is it night time?" She asked.

"Yes." her doctor plainly replied to her. He busied himself tidying the counter tops from the day's earlier work.

"Tora-o, I'm cold." Nami sulked.

"What do you want me to do about it?!" he spat at her. Seemingly still a little pissed that she'd yelled at him when he'd previously been keeping her warm.

Nami felt a small pang in her chest. She hadn't expected that sort of reaction from him. She drew her knees up, keeping them under her covers, and wrapped her arms around them. She sank further into the bed, furrowed her brows and pouted. She wanted his warmth, but like hell was she going to ask for it, especially after that retort.

"Fine." he said, with an exasperated tone. He staggered over to the bed, his hand covering the wounded area on his thigh, and sat down on the bed with her. He dragged her over to him when she failed to move closer. Nami sat in the same place for a few minutes, being too stubborn to embrace what she'd wanted.

She relaxed and unwrapped the covers from around herself to cast them over both her and Law. Nami snuggled up to him again. He was so amazingly warm. She felt embarrassed by how tightly she clung to him, but she physically needed to. Her body soon stopped trembling.

'So much for keeping away from the sadistic bastard' Nami thought to herself. Once her crew were back, she knew she'd be fine. That still wouldn't change how she'd teased him already when she re-dressed his wounds, the poker game, and her current situation. Nami still had no intention of entertaining the idea that she was attracted to him. Even if she did like him, she didn't want him, despite how good he smelt, which she'd only just noticed.

Law shifted then to get into a more comfortable position. Nami suddenly thought that she could feel every muscle flex from beneath his sweater, causing her to remember the shirtless sight of him. That completely threw a spanner in the works for her previous thought process. 'I'm just not well' she internally cursed, but couldn't help but remember how good he felt when she had her hands on him, 'searching' for cards she knew weren't there, and that she had straddled him. Nami forced her knees together to quell the throb that developed between her legs. 'I'm not well' she repeated to herself.

Nami ignored what she was feeling and tried to concentrate on the rhythmic breathing of her human hot water bottle. She was soon lulled to sleep.

* * *

Earlier that day ...

When Trafalgar Law saw the frog man's tongue wrapped around Nami's wrist, he quickly formed his room and slashed his sword towards the man. In an instant the muscle was detached from its owner, and he plunged into the sea.

"Tony-ya, how's Bepo?" Law asked as he approached. He watched Nami out of the corner of his eye as she shook off the remainder of her opponent's tongue. He leant against the side of the infirmary, then closed his eyes with exhaustion.

"I've stabilized him. He still needs treatment that you'd be better suited for." Chopper sheepishly explained. "He's used up a lot of our blood supply, too."

Law's eyes shot open then, as they were interrupted by down pour of rain created by Nami, so she could wash her arm. He looked on as she began to panic. Her breathing quickened noticeably as she examined the limb. When he saw her body sway as she held her head in her hand, he knew she was going to fall.

"A poisonous frog?" he wondered out loud.

If she fell overboard, neither Tony-ya or himself would be able to save her. He stepped forward quickly to catch Nami, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into his body to support her weight. He gritted his teeth as her head crashed into his chest, pain coursing through the wounds he received on Dressrosa. He almost dropped her.

"Law!" the other doctor shouted. The agony must have been plastered across his face.

"I'm fine." he lied, leaning down to hike up her legs so he could carry her. "You need to call your crew back, Tony-ya."

Nami's blatant defiance of everything he asked of her made him seriously doubt if she had actually got in contact with them. The reindeer nodded, then immediately moved to do as he asked.

"Oh, and Tony-ya!" Law shouted after him, "bring that to my infirmary." he motioned with head towards the tongue laying on deck. "We'll use it to extract and antidote. Be careful not to touch it." he advised.

"Uh huh!" Chopper shouted as he ran off.

The Surgeon of Death slowly began to carry his patient to his infirmary. He knew that she wasn't heavy, but it felt like she'd weighed a tonne. His chest began to burn with agony, and the gash in his leg started to throb with pain. Law stopped and decided it would be best to wait for the other doctor. He would be able to carry her with ease.

Law looked down then, to the woman in his arms. Her brows were furrowed in her unconscious state, but he still thought that she looked beautiful. Law suddenly felt a bit possessive of her, or was it that he was feeling guilty? He knew she was distraught when he brought Bepo to her. He could see it plainly on her face, but what else could he have done? His nakama was dying. The look in her eyes, and the tone of her voice was laced with torment when she'd said his proper forename. He had a fleeting feeling that that alone was going to haunt him, never mind that she'd been injured twice because he wasn't at full strength, and couldn't protect her, or any one else.

It was his fault, and he wanted to help her. He didn't want to hand her over to Tony-ya. Law knew he didn't have enough stamina to teleport them both to his ship. Not if he wanted to use his ability to operate on his thigh, and her arm. So he continued to stagger on-board, taking extra care as he crossed the gangplank.

He lay Nami down on one of the beds in his operating theatre, then took three phials of her blood before resting her in the recovery position. He put her injured arm on top so she would be easier to treat later. Law knew there was theriac somewhere in his stores, so went to one of the medical repository to look for the ointment. A cool mist spilt from the refrigerated cabinet as he opened the door, quickly vanishing in the warm atmosphere. His hand shot to the back, lifting each container to read the label, until he finally came to the correct pot. He applied the salve lavishly to Nami's arm. It was an adequate treatment until Chopper could synthesize a more specific, and potent antidote.

The Surgeon of Death used his ability to create a small blue bubble around himself. He cut his jeans for better access, then opened up his thigh so he could mend the deep tissue damage inflicted by the alligator man. It annoyed him then that he didn't get a name from either of the intruders. Both remained silent when he'd asked them any questions. Now they were both dead, so he definitely couldn't get a thing from either of them.

Trafalgar Law finished closing the wound on his leg, then extended his room to engulf the small blood bank in the corner. He scanned for a bag of type S blood, then attached it to an intravenous, and inserted the line into a blood vessel in his left arm.

Chopper entered his operatory then. "They're on their way back" he explained. "Where do you want this?" he asked holding up a clear bag with the poisonous muscle in it.

"You're a pharmaceutical doctor, aren't you?" Law asked the reindeer, his serious expression unchanging as he injected antibiotics into his own leg.

Chopper nodded once in affirmation.

"Those phials contain Nami-ya's blood. Get started on an antidote for what ever malady the frog has given her. What type is she?" Law asked, assuming the other doctor would know he was referring to her blood.

Chopper didn't reply to him, he was too busy examining Nami's arm, and smelling what it was covered in.

"It's just a panacea." he explained. Now taping a strip of gauze to his injured leg.

"That won't be as effective as a concentrated serum I could produce from the source, will it?" the younger doctor asked.

"Exactly." Law said as he walked over to the bed she was on. "She's getting worse. Tony-ya, what is her blood group?" he asked, as he wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel, and took her temperature.

"X, I think. Dr. Kureha treated her before, so I'm not sure." Chopper explained, carefully taking the frog's tongue from the bag to begin work on the antidote.

"I'll type check her then" the Dark Doctor said with a pained expression. '100.4 degrees already' he thought to himself.

He pulled a stool up next to Nami's bedside and generated his room. The bleeding in her arm as slowed substantially by this point, the salve helping to stop the outflow. He cleaned the laceration thoroughly before beginning to stitch her up. Law took more care with her than he probably had done with any other patient. Keeping the sutures small, trying to ensure minimal scarring. He thought she might appreciate it.

Law gave her a shot of penicillin, and announced to Chopper that he was going to see his own navigator, checking to see what drugs had been administered to him before he left.

* * *

Chopper had done a fine job, but was correct in saying that Bepo still needed treatment from Law. The younger doctor wasn't a surgeon, so he'd hadn't been able to operate as expertly as Trafalgar Law could. Then again, nobody in the world could do that either.

Law sat there looking upon his friend, his mouth turned down as it had been a lot lately. Was this the beginning of things to come? Were they going to be regularly ambushed by Kaido's men until he was taken of? He hated that he was wounded, having to rely on other people's strength. He had a lot of respect for Luffy, but didn't like the idea of owing him anything, Roronoa Zoro, or Sanji, either.

'Infuriating woman', his mind cursed. Why couldn't she have done exactly what he'd asked? She wouldn't have been hurt if she'd stayed in the galley, out of the way! He moaned to himself. Then quickly remembering how she had actually saved him, and that he'd probably be dead if she wasn't so disobedient. He was more angry with himself for not being strong enough to keep her safe. Their opponents were weak too, which only made his guilt worse. His guilt over Bepo was another story entirely.

The shouts of a rabble drew him from his thoughts. He went out on deck to greet what he'd hoped were the returning pirates. The evening air had cooled significantly, sending a shiver through his body. He thought about Nami then, and her fever. He knew it was time to check up on her, and Chopper's progress with the antidote.

Luffy, and his shipwright, were devastated by the sight of the Thousand Sunny upon their return.

"Tora-o! What happened?" the other captain inquired.

"Captain! Are you okay?" Penguin, Shachi and Jean all raced up to him, making sure her was all right.

Law fended them off, then gave a brief account explaining what happened. Shock and sadness filled every face that was on deck listening to his story. The Strawhats grieving for Nami, and Shachi, Penguin, and Jean lamenting both navigators. The two samurai simply looked impassive.

"I need to see my Nami-san!" Sanji declared. He ran into the infirmary, only to run out a second later. "Where is she? You shitty bastard!"

"On board my ship." The Hearts captain explained.

A questioning look swept over the face of every member of Luffy's crew. He knew the Strawhat wearer had probably not even been listening first time round, so Law would have to explain again about how Chopper had treated Bepo prior to what happened to Nami. Sanji continued to glare at him, as if he suspected foul play, but the other members accepted his explanation.

"I'm going to see her!" Sanji decided.

"You are not. She is unconscious, and I haven't finished her treatment yet. Tony-ya is working on an antidote for her. Tomorrow you can. Maybe." Law declared. He didn't especially want a lot of people on his sub. Caesar Clown being his captive could be used as an excuse, but the truth was that he liked the quiet. It was great to have somewhere he could escape to. Somewhere that the Strawhat crew would usually think twice about before trespassing, but not any more. Not with their navigator in his operating theatre. He would still do his best to keep them away, though.

"I'm going to check on them now." Law informed her crew. 'I guess I'm not as trusted as I thought I was' the Dark Doctor thought to himself, as he caught Zoro's eye lingering on him. The man emitting a slightly threatening aura.

He went into their kitchen and grabbed a couple of the meals Sanji had prepared for them in the morning. He had not eaten since breakfast, and that fact was starting to catch up with him now. Law used his room to quickly get away from his allies.

* * *

"It's done!" Chopper merrily exclaimed as he held up a phial of yellow liquid.

Law took it and injected his patient. "Your crew is back Tony-ya. I can take it from here." he reassured the reindeer. Chopper thanked him, then rushed out to see his friends.

The Dark Doctor checked her vitals. Nami was still running a high temperature, and she was shivering quite violently. Law grabbed her some extra blankets and covered her over. He finally dressed her wound, and fixed an IV to her left hand. She hadn't lost enough blood to warrant a transfusion, it was just for nutritional purposes.

Law left the room to put on some warmer clothes, and to get something to eat. For some reason he found that he wanted to lock the door to where Nami was. He halted at the door for a few moments contemplating it, before eventually reasoning against it. He doubted her crew would try and visit now, especially since their own doctor would be able to tell how serious her condition was.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he past, he was very disappointed by the loss of definition in his body. It was inevitable with being bed ridden for so long, but he'd have to do something about it, and soon. Especially if he wanted to get someone's attention. Her expression when she'd touched him was too appealing to not try and see again.

He only remembered then, after seeing his reflection, that he'd been wandering round with a massive hole in his jeans, on his thigh. After everything he'd been put through with Luffy, he didn't think this was worth getting embarrassed about. Law grabbed a new pair, and put on a yellow t-shirt, and his navy jumper with the feather collar.

The food that Sanji had prepared was exquisite, despite being cold. He thought to himself about how he could get used to eating food cooked by his allies every day. After his meal, Trafalgar Law went back in to see how Nami was fairing. She was still shivering, so he decided to sit on her bed next to her, to offer her a little more warmth. He slid down next to her, and accidentally fell asleep.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't know what blood group Law is, Oda hasn't told us yet. So, since S (O) is one of the most common ones, I thought it was safe to go with that. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> 7th June 2014


	7. You Go Your Way, We'll Go Ours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own One Piece. That honour belongs to Oda Eiichiro!

* * *

 

Trafalgar Law woke to a strong smell of oranges. He knew it was coming from Nami, sweating in her sleep because her fever had broken. The amount of blankets that had been kicked off the bed during the night were proof enough. He didn't need the thermometer, which now read 99.9, to confirm his suspicions.

As much as that thought probably should have disgusted him, he actually didn't mind too much. She didn't exactly smell bad. He did though. 'I should have thought of that' he told himself, not taking into account that he was fully clothed, and that they'd be buried in covers.

He replaced the empty IV with a new bag, and then checked her vitals. Her respiratory rate was slightly low, which worried him. Law didn't like the sensation that slowly developed in his chest, but he was put at ease when he looked at her eyes. Nami's irises could be seen fluttering beneath her eye lids, so he put it down to R.E.M sleep.

Her blood pressure, and heart rate where both at normal levels for a healthy young woman. Nami's body temperature was lower than the last time he'd measured it, so he was generally pleased with her recovery. The poison had effected her at a disturbing fast rate, but she'd over come it just as easily.

The Surgeon of Death knew she was well enough to leave her without any supervision. He decided to take a quick shower before joining the Strawhats for breakfast, and visiting Bepo. He thought it best to let Tony-ya take care of his navigator. The bear was in his infirmary, after all. Hopefully, that'd make the reindeer follow suit, and let Law fully take care of Nami.

After his careful shower, he dressed him self in a long sleeve yellow jersey top, which had his insignia on the front. A pair of jeans, with the usual animal print detail on them, which he eased himself into, taking extra care because of his thigh dressing, and he picked up the full length coat he'd worn on Dressrosa. Both his hands found his head and fisted his hair, trying to remember where he'd left his favourite hat.

Before heading over to the other ship, he went back in the treatment room where Nami was. He thought it best to take the log pose back to the ship it belonged to. He picked it up it, then pocketed her gold bangle which he'd left next to it. He'd left his nodachi propped up against her sick bed, hat included. He grabbed them, then began to make his way to the Thousand Sunny. He didn't fancy breakfast with the Strawhats without his sword. Not after how Roronoa Zoro had been staring at him yesterday.

He wondered if the swordsman held affections for Nami, and that's why he'd been suspicious. He knew somebody of equal mind could easily guess another persons intentions. Not that he knew what his own intentions were, not fully at least. He'd have to test the man. Sanji, on the other hand, was just angry. Angry that a man, any man, was near her at all. The cook didn't have any romantic regard for her. He'd proven that by his fleeting adoration for every woman on Dressrosa. And Nami was just another woman for him to fawn over.

* * *

Trafalgar Law stepped aboard the Thousand Sunny to the smell of fresh paint. The shipwright was donning a terrible mullet as he worked on the damaged deck by the helm. Law wondered to himself if the cyborg had ever had a normal hair style.

Usopp was painting the banister to the stairs when he spotted Law.

"How's Nami?" the sniper asked him.

"Doing better. She's still asleep, but you can visit her, if you'd like." he informed Usopp with a casual tone to his voice.

"Thanks for looking after her! I'll go see her when I've finished up here."

"You're a suuuper~ doctor!" Franky shouted over to him.

Law proceeded up the opposite set of stairs to visit Bepo. He slowly pushed the door open, and peeked in side. Shachi was sat in the corner while Chopper was changing his dressings.

"Captain!" Shachi smiled.

Law nodded to him. "How's my navigator?" he asked the other doctor.

"He's improved a lot since you operated on him. He is stable, but I have him in an induced coma to ensure he doesn't wake too aggressively, and reopen his wounds. Is that okay?" Chopper asked.

"Fine." he said nodding his head. When he'd used his ability to operate on Bepo he had seen the extent of his wounds. An induced coma was definitely the best thing for him.

"When will he wake up then?" Shachi asked, looking to his Captain.

"Ask Tony-ya, not me. Bepo is his patient."

That was Law's way of claiming Nami. It was a little bit childish, but satisfying nonetheless. Both the Heart Pirates looked to Chopper then.

"Ten to fourteen days, depending on his progress." the reindeer explained.

Law scanned his eye's slowly over Bepo. He trusted that Chopper would do just as good of a job as he could do from here on.

"Has Sanji done breakfast yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. Not for us. He was waiting for you." Shachi informed him. "Let's go eat!"

Trafalgar Law and his crew mate entered a full galley, save for the three Strawhat's they'd already seen. Penguin was sat next to Nico Robin again, browsing the newspaper. Sanji was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelt delicious, a cigarette hanging from his lips, as usual. Brook, and the two samurai were ceremoniously sipping tea at the far end. Luffy sat at the head of the table, stretching his arms to grab the unwanted food that was left in front of everyone. While Roronoa Zoro appeared to be sleeping on the bench along the outer wall, next to Nami's Clima-Tact.

Shachi hurried to sit down in the spot that Law usually sat in. His captain assumed it was so he could sit opposite Nico Robin, and steal some of her attention away from Penguin. The Surgeon of Death moved to sit in Nami's place.

"Mugiwara-ya." he said as he sat down, nursing his leg.

"Tora-o! How's Nami? How's your leg?"

He couldn't quite make out the words due to the amount of food that was stuffed into the other man's mouth, but Law assumed that was what Luffy had asked him. "Nami-ya is doing okay. She woke up in the middle of the night, being her usual feisty self. You can see her, if you wish."

"That's a good sign." Nico Robin smiled. Her expression was the same as yesterdays, leading Law to believe that she was genuinely looking out for her crew mate. He was still unsure if that meant she was trying to avert his attention from Nami.

"Nami-swan~!" Sanji shouted as he threw plates of food to the Heart Pirates, and exited his kitchen. "I'm coming to your arms!" he continued, as he made his way on board Law's submarine. He took a plate of food with him.

"You shouldn't have let her fight." Zoro spoke from behind him. "She's a woman!"

"Should you really look down on her like that?" Law retorted, not even bothering to face the man as he spoke, unafraid of what the consequences might be.

Of course he hadn't actually thought that in the heat of battle. He'd looked down on her abilities and tried to protect her. Things like sexual equality actually held no meaning to him, he just viewed everyone the same without giving it a second thought.

He definitely wasn't sure that he would have tried to protect Nico Robin in the same way that he had Nami.

The other swordsman obviously seemed to think the fairer sex should be treated differently. He could feel Zoro's deathly stare burning into the back of his head. "Besides, have you ever tried to tell her to do anything? It's not as if she takes orders from anyone. I did tell her more than once to stay out of it, but she ignored me." Law said to ease the atmosphere.

Zoro leant back against the sofa then, evidently satisfied by his reply.

Sanji came back then with a sullen look upon his face.

"What happened to you, ero-cook? Did your 'beautiful angel' beat the shit out of you?" the swordsman laughed.

"Shut up, you Marimo bastard!" the cook shouted as he flew for Zoro.

Luffy burst out laughing, spitting food everywhere, and banging his hand on the table top. No one moved to try and separate them.

"Captain ..." Penguin began, when he was interrupted by Usopp's voice over the loud speaker.

"The Marines are coming!" he sounded from the Crow's nest.

Everyone got up and ran out on deck. Law picked up Nami's weapon off the bench as he left.

"How many?" Luffy shouted up to him. He sounded a little too excited by the prospect of a battle.

"At least twenty!" the sniper informed him.

"Oooh!" The Strawhat wearer was brimming with joy.

"Captain," Nico Robin started. "Wouldn't it be better if we fled? We have injured people, and a damaged ship."

Luffy scratched his head while contemplating what she had suggested. He certainly didn't look happy, but agreed with Robin's proposal. Penguin and Shachi ran straight for the submarine then.

"We'll split up for now, then meet up again later." the younger captain suggested.

"Bepo is in your infirmary. I'm not leaving him behind!" Trafalgar Law shouted in protest. He was not about to leave a member of his crew alone with the Strawhats, even if they were allies.

"But you have Nami." Luffy stated, cocking his head to side.

He seemed thoroughly confused that Law had an issue. Luffy obviously had complete trust in him if he was prepared to leave a woman like that in his care, Law thought to himself. Then, a brief trade in navigators didn't seem like such a bad idea. Dark thoughts of debauchery quickly ran through his mind, despite his best efforts to keep them out. He'd already been thinking that he couldn't not try to seduce the orange haired woman, when she was better, of course. So separating her from her crew for a while could definitely work to his advantage. He didn't want to leave Bepo, but it might be worth it.

"Fine." he shouted, disguising his new found approval with an angry tone. He removed the gangplank between the two ships, before Luffy could come to his senses.

"Don't leave my beautiful Nami-swan with that shitty bastard!" Sanji aggressively shouted to his captain, landing his foot on the top of Luffy's head.

A second later and the Thousand Sunny shot off into the sky. A coup de burst, initiated by their shipwright.

Law closed the watertight exterior door, and headed for the bridge as his submarine vanished beneath the waves. He needed to tell the helmsman not to follow the Strawhat's ship. He wanted a couple of days away from them, at least. They had a vivre card for the Heart Pirates, so it would be down to them to find him. Law knew he could make up some excuse about their late, and peculiar rendezvous spot, like being chased by the marines.

Not that it would be the smartest form of communication, but both ships did have long range transponder snails. So if all else failed, they could use those.

Jean Bart followed his captains order without question, and immediately set off in an almost opposite direction.

* * *

Law made his way through his submarine to go and check on his patient, Nami. When he entered the room she was in, he was surprised to see that she was still asleep. The food Sanji had brought for her was set on one of the counters top, untouched. He placed her Clima-Tact next to her breakfast, then went to wake her.

"Nami-ya." he called softly, suppressing the urge he had to brush her hair away from her face.

She groaned pleasantly, as she stretched and stirred. It caught Law off guard. He moved his hand to cover the lower half of his face, to hide the blush he felt creep on to his cheeks. He moved away from her, and pretended to be looking for something in one of the cupboards.

'How the fuck did she just do that to me?' he internally questioned, thoroughly angry with how he'd reacted to her. He just needed to view her as his patient, that would help. Law was aware that he becomes very professional when he is actually tending to someone as their doctor, nothing seems to faze him then.

Not like now. One moment he can feel powerful, and dominant, thinking about all the ways he wants to ravish her. Then, she goes and makes a cute little noise in her sleep and he blushes like a teenager! How could she make him so conflicted? 'I won't let that happen again' he assured himself.

'Maybe the detour from her crew was actually a very bad idea!' he thought.

When he was sure the colour had vanished from his cheeks he called to her again. He was thankful that she roused silently this time.

"We've been separated from your crew." he wasted no time in telling her. Trying to keep his expression cold.

"What do yo mean? What happened?" Nami asked, seeming to fully wake up because of his words.

"A naval fleet approached." he explained. Dejection spread across her face as he continued. "Luffy thought it best if we quickly split up. We'll rendezvous with them later."

"How, may I ask, will we find them?"

"Your crew has a Vivre card for the Heart Pirates, don't they?" Law was a little confused by how melancholic her last question sounded.

Nami reached her hand inside her bikini top. "You mean this?" she asked, waving a small slip of paper between her index and middle fingers.

"Bepo should have one on him. Hopefully Chopper didn't throw away his shredded boiler suit." Law said, trying to make them both feel better.

"Shit!" he continued. "Tony-ya said he was going to keep Bepo sedated for at least ten days!" He pressed his hands against his temples to relieve some of the stress he was feeling.

"Don't worry," Nami started "I'm sure Luffy will call you before then to find out where we are."

"With an naval fleet in the vicinity? He's not that stupid!" Law agonized.

"I think you are forgetting what he's like. I'm surprised that he didn't just attack them, actually."

"Nico-ya swayed him against it."

Nami nodded, accepting his answer.

The pair of them sat there in silence for a minute. Law wondered how the plans; his plans, the one's that sounded so brilliant before, had quickly turned to shit. 'This always happens with the Strawhat's' he thought to himself. Though, the crew on-board the other ship could be blamed for one plan going wrong, and the woman in front of him, and how she made him feel could be blamed for the second.

"I guess you'll have to buy me some new clothes then." Nami exclaimed with a bright smile beaming at him.

"You'll be lucky!" Law scoffed at her.

"I don't have anything else to wear!"

"You can wear my crews old uniforms." The image of her in a nurses outfit suddenly came into his mind then. He tried to keep his face blank, but he could feel a salacious smirk creep onto his lips.

"No!" she screamed "They're not cute at all."

He was quickly brought out of his thoughts then, before he could get carried away.

"I'm not letting you wear one until you're had a shower anyway. Eat that, while I go find you something." he said as he pointed to the breakfast Sanji made. He removed the IV from her left hand so she could eat with ease.

* * *

Trafalgar Law returned with the smallest white boiler suit he could find. Nami still looked unimpressed by it.

"Have you got a belt I use to take it in?" she asked, pouting.

"Nope." he replied to her flatly. In one sense he really didn't want her to look good while wandering around his ship.

She whimpered in response to him, then suddenly perked up. "Do I have to give this back?" she asked. An eyebrow cocked as if a great idea had been bestowed upon her.

"Why?"

"I thought I might alter it a bit, to make it fit better." she said, holding up the garment in front of her to look over it.

"Do you think you could actually do that?" Law genuinely wondered if there was an end to her skills. Cartography, Navigation, Medical skills, thievery … and dress making?

"Bellemere used to do it all the time with Nojiko's clothes for me. How hard can it be?"

"Bellemere?" he asked, assuming she was talking about some sort of domestic set up.

"Uh huh!" that, and a smile was all he got as an answer to that question. "So, can I?" she pressed again.

Law wasn't too worried, thankfully there was no chance in hell of her ever being able to look good in that uniform. "Fine."

Nami's face lit up by that reply. "Have you got some scissors? And maybe a t-shirt?"

"I'll find you something." He felt a bit protective of his surgical equipment. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of her using it to modify clothes, but since he did have scissors for cutting bandages, he supposed she could use those.

"Give me your arm, Nami-ya." Law ordered her.

She offered her left one, assuming that was the one he wanted. Law opened one of the drawers and pulled out a surgical glove. He eased it over Nami's bandaged arm, then taped the edges making it water tight. "I'll show you where you can shower" he said before leading the way.

"My sandals!" she remembered, and quickly went back for them.

It occurred to him then that he should probably offer her his room, and him take Bepo's. He wasn't keen on the idea of giving up his bed, but he did half hope that he could share it with her anyway.

"You can use my room." he said as they entered. He walked to his wardrobe to find a t-shirt.

"Here, but don't wreck that. I want it back." he said as he handed the item over to her. "Everything you'll need is in there." he said, pointing to the bathroom as he left.

* * *

Trafalgar Law sat in the kitchen listening to Penguin and Shachi, and how ridiculously happy they were that Nami was back on their sub. Law was pleased, too. He could finally chase away the jealously he had felt because his crew had gotten to know Nami better than he had. At the same time he was a bit dubious about the situation, and the soft spot that he didn't really want to admit that he might be developing for her. Law got up and cleared his plate from lunch when the room went silent. The woman at the centre of his thoughts stepped through the door.

Nami had completely cut off the sleeves, and the sides of the top half of the white boiler suit, going all the way down to just past her hips. She'd left a thick strip of material to cover her spine, and a similar amount up the front. She'd removed the collar, and cut out the front section to about half way down her breasts, creating two straps that sat over her shoulders. The zipper up the front was only drawn half way up her body. The legs had been completely cut off just below the crotch.

The yellow t-shirt, donning the Heart Pirates logo, that Law had lent her, could be seen under the baggy dungarees she had created. She's tied it in a knot behind her back, leaving her entire midriff exposed, and giving anyone who stood close enough a great view of her bikini bottoms. She's tired her hair back with a piece of discarded material from the suit.

"Fuck!" Law uttered, almost silently to himself. He thought that it was impossible for her to look good in what he'd given her. 'In all fairness, she doesn't look good, she looks amazing' he thought to himself.

He wanted to go to her, and trail his hands down the exposed skin at her sides. To then push his hands inside the garment she had modified and grab her ass, while claiming her lips with his. The urge was so strong he had to ball his hands, and bury them in his pockets.

"It's not too bad, Nami-ya." he lied, trying to hide how incredible he actually thought she looked.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9th June 2014


	8. Don't Get Too Comfortable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, not me. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one :)

* * *

Trafalgar Law lay wide awake in Bepo's bed, thinking about the woman who was resting in his. He couldn't quite seem to make up his mind on what to do about her. He was well aware that he wanted her physically, and kept wondering, hoping, if it was mutual. His mind was endlessly going in circles.

Why would she oppose the alliance, and then playfully pretend to search his body, looking for something she knew wasn't there? She was so seductive in her conduct, it affected him more than any lap dance he'd ever had. Also, would she change his bandages, and then give him a massage? Not that it could really be called that, but what else was it? One moment she's handing him a cold glass of orange juice, with a warm smile on her face, then she's snapping at him about still being in an alliance with Luffy. He didn't count when she threw him out of her sick bed, and then asked to snuggle up to him again. He knew that was just because she was cold, or thought it was, anyway.

Her behaviour had been a little erratic, to say the least. Law knew she was temperamental, but this went beyond that. The mixed signals he was getting were driving him mad, causing him to not have much self control left any more.

His conversation with Nico Robin would always spring to mind whenever his thoughts of Nami would stop being innocent. He felt the Archaeologist had implied that he should try to earn the navigators trust. He did want Nami to trust him, and he hated that fact. More so, because Nico-ya had also implied that it was impossible. Why did he want her to trust him? This was just meant to be a temporary alliance, why should he care what any of the Strawhat's thought about him?

Another question for him to mull over, again.

She'd been a guest on his ship for three days now, and three days worth of benign advances had got him nowhere. He'd been kind and chivalrous to the best of his ability, and tried to appeal to her femininity. She brushed off every gesture like it's nothing. Law had even made a point of touching her when he could, but she didn't react at all.

Earlier that day, he was bold enough to place his hand on the small of her back, underneath the panel of material on the boiler suit she wore, when escorting her from the dining hall. Nothing, much to his annoyance, she didn't even flinch!

Back when she'd spotted the frog man out the window on the Thousand Sunny, he had done a similar thing. Standing between her legs and pressing his chest to her back. He felt it then. She went rigid beneath him, so why didn't his touch bother her now?

'Does she trust me now?' he asked himself, but surely she couldn't, not if Nico-ya knew her as well as she'd implied. Still, could he not surprise or entice Nami because she perhaps had some kind of faith in him? He was trying to keep the term 'friend' far from his mind.

If she did trust him, even a little, it wasn't going to last long. It was time to give up on his previous technique, he wasn't the 'nice guy' type anyway. He decided then to try a different approach, one more suited to his personality. He knew she could very well hate him for it, but at least he'd be under her skin, mentally, if nothing else. He needed to get some kind of reaction out of her so he could gauge how to proceed. He'd grown too frustrated with getting nowhere.

Making her angry was dangerous for many reasons. She could end up hating him, and he might ruin any slight chance there is of having her at all. Or, Nami could possibly lash out and hit him, just like she has no problem doing to her own crew. Hopefully, that's all she would do though. He could Earth her lightning attacks, and save himself with his Counter Shock, but then his sub would be dead in the water.

Much more dangerous than anything though, is that her beautiful face will flush red, and her breathing will become heavier. Similar to how it would if she was sexually aroused, only with a harsher expression on her face. Would he be able to control himself after seeing her like that? He doubted it.

He'd had three days of agony. Watching her strut about in that sexy outfit she's made. He knew how she usually dressed, so why had it not occurred to him that she'd turn it into something very revealing?

She made herself very comfortable on-board his ship. Nami was often in the cartography room, using his Acoustic Current Profiler. Or on and off the bridge, and in the observation room. She chatted merrily with him and his crew. Drank with them, gambled and laughed with them. Yet, she still seemed out of his reach. How impregnable were her defences that she could be so completely aloof?!

Again, the question that bothered him more than anything had looped back into his thoughts: Why did his chest yearn for her? It was only a slight feeling, but it was there, and it shouldn't be. His internal argument with himself about it, since waking up after Dressrosa, had got him nowhere, except maybe more frustrated. Trying to find the solution he needed to explain his emotional disarray, which she caused to start long before then, was utterly fruitless. He was still dissatisfied with everything his mind came up with.

He fully understood why his groin ached for her. Nothing in that sense had confused him. The more he'd gotten to know her, the more his attraction to her had grown. He remembered how she'd fallen asleep next to him, clinging to him for warmth. He imagined her lying next to him now, her hand tracing down his body. He tingled with a warm sensation, growing more impatient. He wanted her hands on him again.

Law was actually considering offering to pay her for a massage. He had visions of taking it a bit too far, and doubted he could stop him self if they were in that situation. He growled in frustration. He was sorely tempted to reach for himself, and let his mind run wild with dirty thoughts of her, but he abstained with an aggravated sigh. 'I'd rather have her do it' he thought to himself, trying to force images of her out of his head.

Sleep never came easy for Trafalgar Law, but he rolled over and tried anyway, before his entire thought process started again. He couldn't bear another round of vexation and arousal.

* * *

Nami sat on the cushioned bench in the observation room. The right side of her body pressed against the window, her temple on glass, casting her eyes out to sea. She loved to watch the sunlight stream through the oceans surface, glowing brightly in shades of turquoise, slowly turning to sapphire blues. It was her favourite place to be, except when Sea Kings were near.

Since separating from her crew she'd been feeling a little depressed, home sick, maybe. Despite loving the spot, where she sat on Law's submarine seemed to constantly remind her of her crews journey to Fishman Island, only without the stress of riding deep ocean currents, and fear of the coating suddenly bursting due to her idiotic friends. She missed them.

She couldn't truly be at peace anywhere on her allies ship. The fact that she had nothing of her own, and was constantly borrowing anything that she needed, really made her feel like a burden. Her morning shower had already disheartened her. Nami didn't like having to use all the more masculine products in Law's bathroom. Thankfully, they weren't overly scented, like Sanji's. She found herself missing the scent of her own shampoo. Nami untied her hair from its binding, and smelt her long locks, trying to see if her own scent had been completely lost. It had.

Everything was slightly alien to her, from the acoustic sounds and hollow chimes of the sonar, to the cold, metal, echoing floor beneath her feet. The atmosphere was always humid. As the warm air hit the submarines shell, moisture would condense on to it, and so the hull was always damp. Nami wondered if the sub was going to rust and leak before her eyes. She wasn't surprised that Law had an all male crew.

As strange as her surroundings were, nothing was stranger than the behaviour of the ships Captain. Nami did wonder if this was how he usually acted, all generous and courteous. That maybe she'd not previously seen it because he felt as out of place on Luffy's ship, as she did on his. She was pleased Law's behaviour wasn't untoward, her stay with the Heart Pirates could be quite awkward if he was. It reminded her a little of how Sanji acted, but she was thankfully immune to those sorts of charms, so they didn't aid the attraction she already had for the captain.

It was the fourth day that she'd been with the allied crew, and not once had they surfaced. She knew they would have to soon, to swap out air, and she was anticipating it greatly. The mixture of stale humid air and home sickness was somehow making her feel a bit claustrophobic, too. Being able to see the underside of the oceans surface only made it worse. "So near, yet so far" she sighed rather loudly. Her breath quickly condensed on the window, obstructing her view of a school of polarized silver fish which seemed to be migrating.

"What is?"

Nami jumped, and turned her head quickly. Trafalgar Law was stood leaning against the door frame. His eye's seemed darker than they had been the last few days. Mischievous, maybe. A quizzical expression adorned his face.

"The surface." she replied, with her left hand across her chest. Trying to stop her heart from escaping after she'd almost jumped out of her skin.

"You should have just asked." Law mumbled as he stepped into the room. Nami drew her knees up making space for him to sit down next to her. "We've stayed close to the surface, so we don't need to undergo decompression." he explained.

Nami replied with a sad smile.

"What's wrong?" Law angled his body towards her as he spoke.

"I just feel really sad and useless, claustrophobia, home sick ... I hate it. I think I'd rather feel anything but this at the moment." Nami sighed again, and turned her attention out the window.

"You don't mean that." Law stated, as his eyes narrowed.

"I think I do." Nami shut her eyes to relax, and slowly put her head back feeling sorry for herself.

Law snorted and grabbed both her ankles. He yanked her towards him, and forced her legs on either side of his waist. Nami's back slammed against the seat. She was completely unprepared for his assault. He moved towards her, with his eyes fixed on hers. Law kept hold of her ankles as she struggled against him while he slowly crept up her body.

"What the hell do you think are you doing?" Nami shouted with a slight flush in her cheeks.

"You said you wanted to feel anything but sad, Nami-ya." he laughed as his face came level with hers. His voice was low, and cool. It sent a shiver down her spine. "So what do you feel now?" He asked, searching her eyes for an answer. "Fear? Arousal?" He purred, letting his lips brush lightly over hers.

Her heartbeat quickened from the light friction of his lips against hers, and her whole body warmed. "More like anger, you bastard!" Nami shouted as her face turned even more red. She tried to push him off her with her right forearm across his chest. Her arm slid, and got lost in the feather rim of his jumper, he didn't budge.

"It's the same thing." he explained with a smirk on his face. He easily found her right wrist and forced it above her head. He took control of her left by manipulating her elbow, being careful of her wounded forearm.

"No it isn't!" She fumed through gritted teeth.

"Arousal is arousal. Ask your Limbic System." he smirked with a dark expression.

Nami stared into his eyes, thinking about all the ways she was going to make him pay for what he was doing to her. The amount of belli he owed her were stacking up quite high. She had to look away from him then. There was something in his stare that had begun to stir her. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if he kissed her now. Her lips still tingling from when his had brushed hers.

"Fine. I get it. Point taken." Nami said monotonically, trying to cover up how he'd stirred her. She forced her head to look out the window. Trying to cool down from his actions.

"And what point is that, Nami-ya?" Law asked as he manoeuvred his face a little closer to hers again.

"That there are worse things than being a bit depressed." She kept her gaze fixed out of the window. She didn't want to see his face this close up in case she blushed a second time. She could already hear her heart beating loudly in her chest, and hoped that he couldn't.

"Is that what I was doing?" The smirk on his face was unchanging. He released her hands then, and propped himself up slightly above her.

Nami turned to him then, to see why he hadn't moved from off of her "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, trying to push him off her again. She was utterly confused by him. She thought she had him figured out already, but now he was acting so completely differently from how he'd been earlier in the week.

Law continued to hold her gaze. The smirk on his face said that he was planning something. Nami wished she could work out what it was, but she couldn't actually think straight. The only thing going through her mind was that his yellow eyes were smouldering to the point that she could feel herself burning up. She tilted her hips as far away from him as she could. She didn't want any pressure or friction between her legs to make the situation any worse. "Get off me!" she finally ordered.

With a low chuckle, Law drew himself away from her. His smile got bigger as he backed away. "I need your help" he informed her.

"Tough. I'm not helping you." Nami was determined to be stubborn after his actions just then. She scurried to the far side of the bench, putting as much distance between them as she could.

"I thought you wanted me to buy you some new clothes." Law sounded irritated as he spoke. Clearly not wanting to give up his belli, but he'd have to if he wanted her help. Nami just looked at him, questioningly.

"There is an island, maybe two days away. I currently don't have a navigator, so I can't be exact."

"Fine!" Nami said a shot up from her seat to exit the room. "You can buy me every single thing I want" she turned her head, and shouted down the corridor to him.

"Within reason." Nami heard from in front of her. She didn't have time to process where it had come from before she walked in to his hard chest.

"Don't do that!" she flapped, as she peeled herself from against his body. "Can't you walk like a normal person?!"

"Does your captain not use his ability to get around?" Law asked, completely amused by how flustered she was.

"That's different!" Nami huffed, as she flounced in the direction of the bridge.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 16th June 2014


	9. The Best Way To Go About Things?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece.

* * *

 

 

The submarine of the Heart Pirates had finally resurfaced. Shachi had made a bad joke that depressed most of his crew, about how Nami was just as eager for fresh air as their navigator always was. The bear's presence was obviously missed, despite how much they enjoyed having the Strawhat's navigator around. Nami wasn't overly warm on the ship, but she certainly felt for Bepo. He must have been roasting hot cooped up in the sub.

Apparently, they had been sailing aimlessly. Trafalgar Law didn't even have a rough idea as to where on the Grand Line they might actually be. Not even any kind of dead reckoning! Fair enough, she had been acting navigator for both ships since the crews had united, but she was wounded and asleep when they set sail. How irresponsible do you need to be to set off without a vague idea of a bearing. No doubt Luffy had done the exact same thing, and they'd be lost at sea without her, and with Bepo being incapacitated.

Nami dug out all of Law's maps, and initially narrowed down their position to within a four day radius of the jungle isle, which she now knew was called Boscage Bay. She'd borrowed Bepo's sextant and almanac and went up on deck, mainly to hide from the ships captain. Since Law didn't have a chronometer, and solar noon had long passed, Nami would have to wait until night fall to get a true positional fix using lunar distance.

The orange haired woman sat up on deck for most of the day, still tormented at Trafalgar Law's earlier actions. 'How dare he have the audacity to do that to me, it was so unprovoked!' she silently fumed, pretending to be more angry with him than anything else she might have felt. She had assumed he was just proving a point, but his words after the incident made her wonder about his true motive. 'Is that what I was doing?' he said. Nami could ignore her attraction to him as long as he kept his distance. So, is that what he was doing? Was he testing her? That might explain his odd behaviour for her first three days aboard his ship.

She only regarded him as a friend at the most, and even then she was using the term lightly. He may have built a relationship with her captain, and maybe even Usopp and Robin, but she hadn't had too many interactions with him for Law to be much more than an acquaintance. They might have been in an alliance, but Nami felt no allegiance to Law, and didn't want to. Of course, she wouldn't just stand back and let him or his crew get hurt, but she was by no means going to give him a chance to be anything other than what he was to her right now; 'completely gorgeous' her inner mind chimed.

Nami sank deeper into her spot on the deck, if that was at all physically possible. She sat crossed legged, with her head propped on her right hand, resting on her knee. She knew there was no point in lying to herself about how attractive Law was, and he was even better close up, but she couldn't indulge such thoughts. She'd enjoyed his company over the last few days, too, which only made things worse. She could have a similar sort of sophisticated conversation with him like she could with Robin. Both him and the archaeologist were highly intelligent, and slightly morbid in their own ways.

Nami wasn't going to allow herself to be swayed by him. He was not part of her crew. If it was Zoro, or someone else, she wouldn't have a problem addressing her attraction. She knew her nakama would never try and use her in some sick plan, or as leverage to attain some prise. Nami realised then that she still didn't trust Law, even after the fight they fought together. Surely that should have helped her to see him in a better light. 'He definitely isn't as bad as what all the dark rumours say' she told herself, feeling slightly guilty. How could she have told him to have some faith in them, when she and Usopp fought Buffalo and Baby 5, yet she still refused to have some trust him, even though he had earn it. Nami felt she needed to internally antagonise him if she planned to keep emotionally distant from him, and that was what she had been doing. She couldn't let him get too close, his dream conflicted with her captains. That, made Trafalgar Law a bad idea.

She felt uncomfortable around him now, too, not quite knowing how to act. Being on the bridge and trying to roughly triangulate their position proved that. She couldn't wait to get out of there, and was half scared of him standing near her in case he tried anything. Then, at the same time, she sort of hoped that he would. She didn't want to be around him because of the turmoil he caused. Her resolve was strong, as long as he kept out of her personal space.

Nami was pleased she was no longer trapped to the confines of his submerged ship, then she would have felt more claustrophobic than she did before. Not that she could entirely escape, but she didn't feel as caged. It was an absolute relief to be able to sit on deck, in the open air.

"Nami-san." Shachi called to her. "Dinner is ready when you want it."

"Thanks Shachi." Nami said as got up to follow him. It would have only made things more awkward if she avoided Law altogether. That might give him cause to seek her out.

As the water tight door closed behind her, Nami was sadly aware of just how warm the submarine was. The heat indoors hadn't seemed so bad before, but she was well aware of it now. The cool spring breeze outside a welcome relief, and one she was going to go back to as soon as she'd eaten.

* * *

Nami noticed Law as soon as she walked through the kitchen door. His furry hat rested on the table opposite his seat, and his sword leant against it, next to him. His hand was on his head, mussing up his dark blue hair, so it wasn't as flat from wearing his oversized accessory. 'Narcissist' Nami thought to herself, even though she knew he wasn't. He looked strangely more approachable without his hat on.

She grabbed a plate and moved to sit on at the other end of the table away from Hearts captain, and next to Penguin.

"Nami-ya." Law called as he lifted his hat from off the table so she could opposite him.

She turned her head to him then, expecting him to have an annoying smile on his face, but much to her surprise, he didn't. His face was the stoic mask she'd gotten used to. Maybe it was safe to be near him when his crew were around. She sat down still keeping her guarded eyes on him.

"I want to check how your arm is healing." Law said lazily as he ate his food. Again, no sign of any mischief was on his face, so Nami just nodded and began eating.

"Are you going to play poker with us later, Nami-san?" Shachi merrily asked her. "The captain is going to play this time, too."

"I best not. You and Jean owe me enough money as it is!" The orange haired woman had a knack for winning, especially after they'd been drinking. Shachi alone owed her more than one hundred thousand belli, which she'd force him to cough up before they got to the next island. She didn't really fancy going up against Law again, not after last time. She knew that she would lose all her belli to him, and her mind would be, quite possibly, preoccupied with how their first match turned out.

"I'm going to send a message to Mugiwara-ya when we make port. The marines may be able to trace den den mushi's, but hopefully an air message will reach him." Law spoke in a bored tone.

"An air message?" Nami was confused.

"The News Coo's are smarter than you'd think." he said shoving a bunch of noodles in his mouth.

Nami didn't argue. An ex-Shichibukai would surely know more about those sorts of things than she did. It also meant that the could communicate a rendezvous spot with her crew, soon. Hopefully they wouldn't be too many days away from their location.

"Nami-san?" Penguin politely started "If you don't mind me saying, you seem very relaxed with us on this ship."

"Do you secretly prefer it here?" The Dark Doctor asked her, a hint of a smile touched his lips as he stared at her waiting for her to answer.

"I might seem at ease, mainly because I don't have the stress of this crew asking my idiotic things all the time." Nami tried to keep any emotion from her tone.

"So, you wouldn't trade with Bepo, then?" Shachi asked.

Nami just stared at him, wide eyed and in shock.

"I'm not asking if you will, just if you would. If that makes sense." Shachi clarified.

"I'd be bored on this ship. Being a navigator here, isn't like being a navigator at all. It's an entirely different thing." Nami explained.

Law, and all his crew seemed to regard her with an element of uncertainty. How could they understand how different it was here, trapped from the world above.

"I want to navigate the world, and draw a map of my experiences. I see, and feel my way through the Grand Line. I can sense a drop in barometric pressure, feel surface currents, and notice the drag of eddies. I can't do that on this ship. It's almost as if my senses have been taken away from me. I like the wind in my hair, and the smell of the sea." and, Nami thought to herself, 'I can't fulfil my dream if I'm here'. She didn't look up at any of the men listening to her. It didn't matter if they were satisfied by her statement or not. Nami thought she understood herself a bit better after her little speech. Perhaps that is why she'd been feeling claustrophobic.

Their conversation turned idle after that. Nami mainly concentrated on looking out of one of the small port holes. Once his crew had finished their food, Law generated his room, just large enough to engulf Nami, and cut the bandage from her arm. He took her hand, and tugged her towards him gently. He lightly held her arm and closely examined it. "It's healing very well. I'll take the stitches out in couple more days."

Nami never took her eyes off his expression. The whole time he held her arm he had a calm and innocent look on his face. 'Some sort of doctor mode' Nami told her self.

"Come to the infirmary later. I want to bandage that back up." He told her before leaving the table.

As soon as she had finished her meal, Nami cleared her plate away and went back up on deck. She immediately searched the sky for any two celestial bodies listed in Bepo's nautical almanac. The sooner she knew their position, the sooner they could be on their way to the nearest island. She wrote down all her notes, and calculations, then went back to the bridge to plot their location, and give Jean a bearing.

Nami then returned to sit out on deck again. Better to make the most of it while she could, just in case they dived again.

* * *

Nami stood on the top most deck, resting her elbows on the hand rail, looking out to sea. She felt peaceful under the diamond encrusted night sky. She searched the heavens for familiar constellations, imagining those figures floating just outside the atmosphere. The large lanterns to the side of the vessel ruined her view with their light pollution, and rear mast also blocked a section of her visible celestial hemisphere, but she forgave them. The gentle sloshing of the sea crashing against the side of the ship was a comforting and familiar sound. That probably made her more forgiving.

There was cool breeze blowing, sending salty air to gently sting yet sooth her wounded arm. She patted it lightly to quell the itching, her mind wandering to thoughts of her crew. Her heart was still at unrest by not knowing where they were. They could be anywhere, or worse, but Nami didn't want to think about that.

A squall sent a shiver running through Nami's body. She crossed her arms to hug herself, and rub her shoulders. Warm arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.

"Cold, Nami-ya?" he whispered in her ear.

Nami instantly tensed in his hold. She was expecting him to breathe against her sensitive auricle, and even though she tried to mentally prepare against it, he still made her stomach flutter.

"I'm fine." Nami said, trying to sound calm through the warmth she felt creeping into her cheeks. She didn't try to free herself from his arms.

She felt the tip of his nose run down her ear before his lips met the back of her neck. Nami jolted forward to move away from him, but his hands were locked around her. She tried to pry them apart, but it was useless. She quickly turned in the small space against his chest, and pushed her hands against his shoulders. "What are you doing?" she asked him, pretending to be unaffected.

Trafalgar Law just pulled her closer with a smirk on his face.

"What is your problem?" She reworded her former question, hoping to get an answer this time. Nami backed away from him a little bit then, thinking about the hard body that was hiding beneath his coat.

"I don't have one, but it seems like you do." Law said through a low chuckle. He bend down slightly to lift her off the ground, and rested her bum on the hand rail.

"You were being nice the other day. What happened to that Law? I liked him." she argued, putting her hands on his shoulders to regain some distance between them.

"I got bored. I'd much rather try and have you be angry at me, it's better than being 'pleasant'. At least it's some sort of heated reaction." Law stepped forward to stand between her parted knees.

"Do you think I won't hit you?" Nami could feel her face growing red. This audacious bastard was pushing his luck with her now.

Law just continued to smirk at her, as if he expected her to lash out at him. She flung her hand to smack him across the face. He moved quickly and caught her wrist, he used his grip to pull her sideways slightly, forcing her to take her eyes off him and notice where she actually was. Nami quickly looked to her right, then behind her at the sheer drop down to the next deck, before whipping her head back round to face Law. She instinctively moved forward, pressing her body closer to Law, trying to get away from the edge.

He released her wrist then, and moved his arm behind her to seal the hold he had her in. "What are you so angry about anyway? It's not like I have stolen a kiss from you. Is it? Not yet, anyway." Law seemed quite amused by his own words.

"What do you mean, not yet? You basta-"

Law cut her off then by gently squeezing his arms around her, and leaning forward, forcing her to arch her back away from him. He locked his eyes on to hers and said, "What I'm doing is no worse than what you did, Nami-ya."

"What did I do?" Nami knew her face was flushed dark red and her heart pounding in her chest. Half of it was from anger, the rest from his close proximity.

"Playing innocent, are we? I know you're not the absent minded type. Your _almost_ strip search of me, and that little massage ..."

Nami froze then. 'Shit' she thought to herself. In one respect, he was right. Not that she was going to tell him that. She knew she had absolutely teased him, and she had silently commended him for the restraint he had shown.

"Were you not asking for this? Did you really think you could do that to me and I wouldn't act in kind?" Law asked, looking thoroughly amused.

"I was just having a bit of fun!" she tried to brush it off by shrugging her shoulders, and smiling at him.

"So am I." he replied.

She should have expected that answer. She lined him up for that one.

Law kept his narrowed eyes on her and leant a little further forward, and Nami bent even further backwards to try and keep the same distance between. She was arched so far back now that her breasts where level with his chin. He noticed instantly, as the fabric of her t-shirt brushed against the hair on his jaw. She felt him chuckle against her as his lips curled into a devilish smile, and he rested his chin above her pounding heart, right between her breasts, forcing her hips against him as he stood between her legs.

Nami stared down into his eyes. She hated that she was thoroughly enjoying seeing him there, and seeing herself in his arms, her body pressed against his. She was strangely thrilled from knowing that she was physically helpless against this gorgeous man, who was seemingly captivated by her. She really hated that he'd had the nerve to do this to her, though. Shouldn't he consider that she's a woman, and have a bit more respect? Did her wrath not bother him at all?

"You have to have my permission before you do things like that!" Nami shouted at him. Her chest was heaving, and her heart thumping in her ribcage. She had her hands fisted in his coat at the top of his shoulders, holding on.

"Then do I have your permission?" he asked through a dark smile. Turning his face down to kiss where his chin had been.

"No!" she shouted, embarrassed more by his question than the kiss his placed on her chest through his t-shirt that she wore. She was keen to stick to her resolve of not engaging him.

"So what was the point in asking for permission if you're going to lie about what you want?"

"Let me go!" she shouted so loud she was sure his entire ship would have heard her.

"As you wish." Law said as he released his hold on her.

Nami instantly noticed the pull of gravity on her and wrapped her legs around his waist, and tightened her grip on his coat. "Pull me up!" She demanded. Her tone of voice was drenched fear. She tried to wrap an arm around Law's neck but accidentally knocked his hat from his head.

"Room." was all he said, before his hat was back in his hand. He cast it behind him on the deck then, in case she knocked it off again.

Seeing him use his ability reminded Nami that she wasn't in any real danger. If she fell he could easily catch her with his Devil Fruit power, if he wanted to.

"You really don't think about what you're saying when you're angry, do you?"

Nami was not impressed by how amused he sounded, while she's clinging on to his body for dear life. "Law," she pleaded "Please pull me back over the rail, and on to the deck." She tightened the grip she had on him with her legs, trying to force her hips to the safe side of the hand rail.

Nami was relieved when she felt his arms wrap around her waist again, supporting her weight as he pulled her body up to press against his, and slowly lifted her off the rail. When she was vertical again, Nami put her arms instinctively round his neck to hold on. He stood still for a moment, possibly expecting her to drop to the deck and go mental, but she didn't.

Law used his room to pick up his hat, and carried Nami back inside his submarine so they could dive for the two day journey to the nearest isle.

"You're a horrible man." Nami whimpered, still clutching him tightly.

"It's your own fault. I did exactly what you asked, the very moment you asked it of me."

Law's response was a little too deadpan for her liking, so she thumped him in the shoulder.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that if Game of Thrones can send messages by raven, then Law can use a news coo! 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading. 
> 
> 17th June 2014


	10. A Forgotten Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, not me.

* * *

 

Trafalgar Law could feel the woman in his arms trembling through his thick coat. He hadn't meant to scare her, but his sadistic side may have taken over in the heat of the moment, and much more than he would have liked. He had only wanted to make her flustered, and test how she might react if he tried to kissed her. He was pleased that she really didn't put up the sort of fight he was expecting of her. He was quite sure now that he could kiss her and get away unscathed, but not yet. Not until he knew she's forgiven him for almost dropping her from the top deck. He'd been too keen to taste her, so may have been too aggressive. His body wanted much more than that from her though, a fact that became very apparent as she hung over the edge of his ship, her body pressed against him. The hot knotted sensation that it caused in his lower abdomen had still not fully dissipated.

He was surprised by the lack of violence shown on her part. She usually lashed out instantly with her fist, or an electrical attack. Yes, she had tried to slap him, which he encouraged her to do, but since then she had done nothing. He was carrying her to his infirmary in the same position she was in when he lifted her safely over the rail. Her legs wrapped high on his waist, and her breasts pressed firmly to the side of his face. It was difficult to fully appreciate her grip on him since he felt so guilty. She truly was frightened, or else she wouldn't still be clinging on to him like she was.

"You're a terrible person!" Nami whispered. She was holding on to him tightly as if she was still dangling over the edge of his ship. She continuously insulted him as he carried her.

His face turned more sullen by her every word. "I know." he said, trying to ignore the uncomfortable sensation that had been developing in his chest. He really didn't want her to hate him, and he was just starting to realise how much. 'A new approach is needed' he decided. There was something there though, otherwise she wouldn't still be in his arms. She couldn't hate him that much or she would have fled already. He shifted her weight in his arms, taking the chance to draw her slightly closer to him.

Law sat her down on one of the beds in his infirmary. She didn't immediately disentangle herself from him, so Law grabbed her arms to pry his head free.

"I wouldn't have dropped you." Law tried to console her. He wasn't a fan of the sombre and taciturn Nami that sat before him.

"But you did drop me!" she said more animately than anything that had come out of her mouth since she asked him to pull her back up. She unlinked her feet from around his waist, releasing him.

"Well, I wouldn't have let you fall." He had tried to show her that by reclaiming his hat the moment it fell from his head. He wouldn't have let any harm come to her.

Law walked to one of his many cabinets and picked up a couple of bandages to redress Nami's arm. He was disappointed when he turned to face her again and saw that she was still sulking. He wasn't used to feeling guilty, and that was starting to irritate him. "Give me your left arm." he asked his patient, trying to keep his voice cool.

Nami offered her limb with a cold expression. Law tentatively took hold of her arm, more gently than he had done during dinner, and checked to see she hadn't damaged it further during the incident a moment ago. Her wound still looked fine, so he slowly began to cover it, wrapping the gauze carefully around her forearm.

He was pleased to feel that she was no longer trembling. He just had to cope with her scowling expression now. "How long do you intend to have that icy glare?"

Nami didn't answer him. Her silence was some how worse than her anger. At least he'd expected the latter, and knew how to deal with her. This, he had no answer to.

He rolled his eyes before speaking. "The prospect of getting frost bite does not interest me in the slightest. So, good night, Nami-ya."

Trafalgar Law left the infirmary a little dejected to say the least. He'd hoped to elicit the fiery side of Nami, not a cold one. After ordering Jean Bart to take his ship beneath the waves, Law headed for bed. Hopefully, his guest would be back to her usual self by the morning. Though, he felt he had to make it up to her. To get back in her good graces, if nothing else.

* * *

Thankfully, Trafalgar Law had left Nami to her own devices over the last couple of days. Never once seeking her out when she sought solitude. He had spent most of his time in the gym on board his ship, much as he had done for the rest of her stay. She would converse with him on the bridge, speaking of their current location, and on choosing a spot to rendezvous with her crew, but nothing beyond professional. She'd had time to clear her head of what happened between them a couple of days ago.

She wasn't actually angry with him, and never really had been. Just using the frustration she felt with herself as a mask to ward him off. She needed the distance after having such a strong reaction to him. Yes, she had been scared of falling, but once she remembered his ability, she was fine. Still, you don't instantly recover from something like that. Just as she couldn't instantly recover from being in is arms.

Earlier that morning, when Law had taken the stitches from her arm, she was surprised by how polite he had been. He'd continued to converse with her while he was removing the stitches from his leg, too. It felt as if, for him, the other night never even happened. If she was honest with herself, that made her both a little sad, and a bit angry. Angry that he could be so nonchalant about things, and sad because maybe he was just toying with her, and she definitely didn't need that.

Nami was looking forward to going ashore on the next island, just minutes away. She'd rounded up the monies owed to her, and was excited to go shopping, and buy some clothes that she actually liked. She was getting bored of washing her clothes daily in her morning shower, then having to dry them with her Clima-Tact. Nami planned to mail the letter to her captain, then have a day of indulgence, and pampering. A nice day away from the Heart Pirates.

The submarine resurfaced a little way out to sea. The cool morning was crisp, but not quite cold enough for mist to form above the warm ocean. Nami watched on as Law examined the island through a pair of binoculars.

"It looks clear of Marines, at least." Law informed her and his crew. The expression on his face didn't fill her with much confidence though.

"What do you mean 'at least'? And, why the face?" she couldn't not ask as she took the binoculars off him to see for herself. Nami viewed the island, but still couldn't determine what had earned such a gloomy look from Law.

"This is Charlotte Linlin's territory." His expression was grim while he spoke. The look on Penguin's face mirrored his captains, and Shachi seemed a little white. "We'd better hope that none of her subordinates are here."

"Who is she?" Nami inquired, completely lost as to who they were talking about.

"Big Mom." Law said quite calmly. Then, concern spread all over his face as he regarded Nami. "What is it?"

Nami was scared thinking about the situation they were in. A grudge she'd completely forgotten about since leaving Dressrosa. "Fishman island. Luffy declared war against her to protect it."

"What!?" Law shouted.

"The Fishmen and Merfolk gave us all their candy that was meant for Big Mom. It was part of our banquet at the Ryugu Palace. Luffy, the idiot, gave her all my treasure as compensation, but she wasn't happy with that, so he challenged her."

"So, your crew was already at war with one of the Yonko? Even before he agreed to ally with us to take down Kaido?!" Law's eye's were sharp, and his voice raised. The stress of Luffy's uncontrollable and unpredictable nature apparent in Law's demeanour.

"Yes." Nami muttered.

"Don't you think that information might have been useful a little bit sooner?" His face was contorted with shock and anger.

"Don't scold me! You got into this with Luffy, so it's your own fault! You should have thought to ask things like that." Nami screamed back at him.

"He really does create a storm wherever he goes." Law's laugh was dark as he spoke. Nami saw that familiar sadistic glint in his eyes again. The one that makes him feared by his enemies. He quickly got over his anger, and now he appeared pleased with Luffy's recklessness. "I didn't think he'd go up against one of the Yonko on his own. I underestimated him."

"By the way, after we left the Green Bit, one of her ships attacked us. Sanji disabled the rudder, and we escaped."

"So, they could be not too far behind us then." Law muttered, as if talking to himself. "Can you create heavy fog, Nami-ya?"

"Yes."

Law nodded his head, signalling for her to do it right that very moment. Nami worked her Clima-Tact cooling the atmosphere so the fog was thick enough to conceal the sub, and forced the bank of cloud towards the shore line.

"Come with me." Law asked when she was finished.

"What's wrong?"

"We need to check how close we are to Whole Cake Island. That is her base of operations. There is a chance she won't be bothered by us Heart Pirates, but we can't risk the rendezvous spot being too close to where she may be. Not with Kaido after us as well." Law spoke as hastily as he walked.

"What is your plan for Caesar Clown?" she asked him as she hurried along behind.

"Why?" He stopped abruptly, and looked over his shoulder at Nami through narrowed eyes.

"When that ship of Big Mom's attacked us, they wanted Caesar, as well as to sink us. He said he'd swindled a lot of money out of her, and asked us to protect him otherwise he'd be killed."

"So at least we have a bargaining chip, if things go bad." Law smirked, the continued onto the bridge.

* * *

With their chosen rendezvous place not being in either of their enemies territories, Nami had gone ashore under the cover of the fog bank she'd created, to send their massage to the Strawhat Crew. With that mission accomplished, she was now having a small look around town, before heading back to Law's ship. She wasn't too impressed with the company that she now had to keep, though.

"Look, I don't need a babysitter!" Nami demanded. She was really looking forward to the solitary day she'd planned earlier on. "Can't you just go and do your own thing?"

"Yes you do!" Law argued. "This is the New World. Not only is your crew wanted by the World Government, but other pirates will target you, and bounty hunters. You have a pathetic sixteen million belli bounty on your head …"

"Exactly!" she interjected. "Who is going to try and come after me, when there is a four hundred and forty million belli prize like you wandering around? If anything, you're drawing attention to me, not driving it away."

"Your drawing attention to yourself by shouting!" Law said as his eyes constantly searched their surroundings. "You are also the enemy of two out of the four Yonko. It really isn't safe for you to wander around by yourself."

"Is that why you are acting as if we are being hunted?" Nami teased.

The den den mushi in Law's Corazon coat pocket began to ring then.

"Captain!" Penguin shouted the moment Law picked up.

"What it is?" he asked with an aggravated tone.

"Luffy called the ship, just after you and Nami-san left!"

"What! Please tell me you didn't tell them anything?" Law continued to look up and down the built up streets. It made Nami nervous how on edge he seemed.

"No, I just said we'd contact them, and hung up. It keeps ringing, but none of us are answering it."

"Good. We're on our way back now."

"Captain, we had to move the submarine. A marine battleship showed up not too long ago, so it's not safe for us to come and get you yet."

"Tomorrow, then." Law said before hanging up. "Do you still have you vivre card that I gave you?" he asked Nami.

She nodded her head in affirmation.

"Good." Law said while taking her by the arm, and leading her away from where they were standing. "Penguin has one for me, so we're covered."

Law made Nami walk slightly ahead of him. She kept trying to slow down and walk next to him, but he would instantly put his hand at the centre of her back to urge her forward. Nami resorted to glancing backwards every few moments to check he was still following her. She knew that would make them look a bit suspicious, but she felt a little unnerved by not being able to see him at all. Especially since he'd just put their position into perspective. There were a lot of potential enemies around. She was glad he had come with her now.

Law grabbed Nami, and quickly dragged her down a nearby alley. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

"That's Pekoms and Tamago." he declared. He kept his gaze out on to the streets. "They're coming this way. Act natural!" he told her. Law dragged his hat off his head and buried himself deeper into his hood.

"What do you mean act natural?" Nami panicked, she felt a little scandalized as there was nothing natural about the way they were standing. Only an intimate couple would be this close, in her opinion.

"Why are you blushing, Nami-ya?" Law inquired as he lowered his face towards hers.

"Don't even think about it." She ordered, pointing her finger at him.

"Think about what?" He smirked.

"You know what!" She whispered. She hated that she could feel her heart beating faster.

"I really don't think I do." Law's face was level with Nami's at this point, and he pulled his hood so it was half over her head as well.

"Don't even think about trying to kiss me!" she finally admitted, turning even more red than she already was.

"I wasn't." Law said as he raised both his eyebrows at her, wearing an astonished smile. "It's interesting to know that that's what you were thinking about though." he teased.

"Don't laugh at me!" she shouted as she feebly punched him in the chest.

"Shhh!" he snarled at her. His index finger poised vertically beneath his nose. Law had a quick look around before deciding it was safe to leave the alleyway. "Let's walk to the next town and stay the night there."

Nami punched him again, in the shoulder this time, to get away from him. She hurried off out of embarrassment.

"Don't walk too far ahead! I'm meant to be protecting you, Nami-ya!" Law shouted to her as she raced off a little too fast, even for his long strides.

* * *

Nami and Trafalgar Law had been walking through a dense forest for the last hour or so, trying to get to the next town. Law insisted that he had seen it when he viewed the island upon arrival. At first, it was a pleasant walk on the spring island, but once the heavens opened up, it was a different story. Law was forced to give Nami his coat to wear since she had no hood, and he had his hat, but now they were both soaked through, and muddy. Nami had tried to give Law his coat back once the rain had stopped, but he didn't want the wet garment, so it was now balled up in her arms.

She instantly turned when he placed his hand on her shoulder. A finger pressed to his lips, as his eyes searched the trees. He stepped in front of her and shouted for his room.

"Stay behind me." he ordered her as he drew his sword.

Nami knew better than to get in the way of his swing. She would have much rather have not been in his 'room' at all. She balled her fist in the back of his yellow t-shirt and turned to look behind them.

He scanned the forest ahead of them, before slashing his sword in the direction of their unseen enemies. Nami could hear the cries of his victims as they'd been cut in half. Law uprooted all the plant life in the area before shuffling it all round, and letting it drop to the floor. Body parts included. Nami looked on, watching all the confusion, in awe of how he could juggle so many things at once. No wonder his Devil Fruit power drained his stamina. He grabbed Nami and used his ability to move them closer to the edge of the forest.

The sun was low in the sky before they reached the town.

"You can't go shopping, Nami-ya!" He forbade her.

"I need some clothes. I can't keep wearing this everyday." she argued with him, pointing to herself. Nami desperately wanted something other than her one outfit.

"There are marines around. That is who was in the forest. And, it's getting late. We'll just get something to eat, and find somewhere to stay." he decided.

Nami just continued to stare at him. New clothes were more important than food, or so she thought until her stomach rumbled. She hadn't even felt hungry until he mentioned it.

"Fine." she sulked "Can I quickly get something tomorrow before we leave?" Nami thought that was a reasonable request.

"Fine." he said as her dragged her into the nearest eatery.

* * *

Nami sat soaking in a nice hot bath, erasing the chill from her bones from the earlier downpour she'd endured. She was examining the layout of the spacious room, trying to keep her thoughts focused. The overly large bath sat to the right of the door. The toilet to the left, and the sink with a mirror opposite, as you walk in. That tiny observation was not enough to distract her from trying to not be angry. She just wanted to relax, but that was too hard since Trafalgar Law had insisted that it was not safe for her to have her own room, and that he definitely wasn't going to pay for more than one. So, they were sharing, and it was a double. She told the bastard that he could sleep on the floor. Thankfully, he didn't object.

She threw a towel down on the ivory tiles as she got out the bath. Housekeeping had forgotten to supply the room with a bath mat. Nami cloaked her body with the largest one she could find, then let the water out of the bath before wrapping her hair in a smaller hand towel.

"Hurry up, Nami-ya." Law complained through the door.

She imagined he was quite cold by this point, after sitting for hours in wet clothes. She probably should have let him go first since she loves to bathe, and had occupied the room for longer than necessary, but she felt he deserved the punishment for everything that'd happened that day. For embarrassing her, not letting her go shopping, for sharing a room! He had protected her in the forest, but that was his only good deed of the day, and it wasn't exactly an effort for him. Nami rounded up all of her belongings and exited the bathroom.

"There!" she sneered, as she walked past him.

Law looked at her through cheerless eyes, then walked into the now vacant room, leaving the door ajar.

Nami could heard a faint squeak as he turned the faucet and began to fill the bath. She quickly dried her hair and clothes, waiting until she knew he was in the bath before she got dressed, just incase he came out.

"You used up all the clean towels!" he shouted to her.

"And?" Nami growled.

"Could you get some fresh ones, please?" he requested.

"Get them yourself!" she demanded

"I'm in the bath, Nami-ya." he whined in annoyance.

"Fine." she conceded.

Nami quickly got dressed and left in search of clean towels. She thought it best not to ask anyone. It was risky enough that they were staying in a hotel, instead of sleeping rough. Trafalgar Law had been edgy all day, making her feel as if the entire island were actually hunting them. She eventually found a linen closet, then made her way back to their room with a handful of clean towels.

"I'll leave them outside the door." she informed him.

"What good are they out there? Just bring them in." he suggested.

"What do you mean, 'just bring them in'?" she spluttered. Nami felt her face grow warm.

"You can come in. It is okay." he assured her.

Nami pushed the door open, and stepped through. "I thought you said it was safe!" she squeaked, instantly turning around. She shut her eyes and quickly tried to control her embarrassment. She'd just seen him naked. Completely naked. Not quite long enough to have actually noticed any part of him, but still. She buried her face in the towels in her hands.

"I said it was okay, not safe. I don't mind you coming in." Nami could practically hear the smirk on his face as he spoke.

She remembered the old rumours about him then. About how he was a sarcastic, sadistic devil, who loved to mock and intimidate people. She'd forgotten about the rumours, and even her early perception of him, after having seeing a warmer side to him since he'd been with her crew. Still, she imagined he was loving this situation. Enjoying her embarrassment. His darker side would not have died just because she'd gotten to know him and seen the three dimensional Law, and not just the painted picture.

"Where do you want these?" she asked, lifting the towels above her head.

"On the sink."

"I'll leave them on the toilet." The sink was far too close to the bath tub. She didn't dare go near him. She closed the lid, and put the towels down, then started to back away towards the door. She was adamant about keeping her eyes far from the bath.

"Wait, I want to talk to you about something." Nami thought his voice seemed calm, but this was not the time for a conversation.

"You can talk to me when you're not naked!"

"Go and sit on the toilet. It's twelve feet away. You won't be able to see anything." he suggested monotonically.

Nami thought about his words for a moment. He was right, she wouldn't be able to see anything from that distance, it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. She sat sit down on top of the towels. "What is so important that it couldn't wait?" She didn't look at him as she spoke.

"I'm not like Mugiwara-ya. I don't just go blindly walking into situations without knowing the full extent of all the details." Law reported with a displeased tone to his voice. "What else should I know about this alliance I'm in?" he questioned.

"I don't know. Like what?" Nami inquired, finally being brave enough to look up at the man talking to her.

He relaxed low down in the tub. Law's arms were hiding beneath the rim. His knees were bent, protruding a few inches above the edge of the bath. The back of his head rested lightly on the wall behind him, forcing his face forward. He furrowed his brows at Nami's question, drawing her gaze to his closed eyes. She stared at his dark eyelashes which were clumped together after he had washed his face. Beads of water still rested on his moist flesh.

"I don't know." he eventually responded with a sigh. He lifted both his hands from the water and slicked back his midnight blue hair, then rested them on the rim of the bath.

Nami's eyes were glued to his body. The affects of his time spent in the gym were apparent. She watched as the water had trickled down his tattooed arms. She wanted to run her hands all over his wet skin. To entangle her fingers in his dark hair that he just brushed away from his face. She couldn't help but imagine herself in the bath with him, lay on top of him, kissing him. His lips somehow seemed to be baiting her more now that his face was relaxed, and those fascinating amber eyes were concealed.

He cracked an eye open then to look at her. "Nami-ya?" he prompted her through a smirk.

Nami instantly went a deeper shade of red, wondering how long she had been sat in silence, staring at him. Had he just asked her something, and she was too busy staring to even hear him? She swallowed hard when she noticed how fast her heart was racing, and hoped she hadn't been openly panting as she'd been enjoying the sight of him.

Law leant forward to get out of the bath then, so Nami quickly ran into the bedroom.

* * *

The Surgeon of Death triumphantly smiled to himself as he dried his body. His first attempt to ensnare her hadn't worked. Being chivalrous wasn't the best way to capture her attention. His second approach also failed, mainly because he was too sadistic, and pushed it too far. Still, he'd pushed her enough to know she reacted to him, and not out of any sort of anger or irritation. His tactic a moment ago definitely drew her in. There was no way she could deny it, and he knew it.

He didn't know why she was trying to keep her distance from him, but he was going to close it. There was some emotional barrier there, put up by her, but she just responded to him out of pure attraction. He was definitely going to have her, and hopefully, it was going to be tonight.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 26th June 2014


	11. You Don't Get To Be Satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, not me.

* * *

Trafalgar Law waited a while in the bathroom giving Nami time to collect her thoughts. By how flustered she was a moment ago when she ran out of the room, he knew that unless he gave her time to calm down, she'd only try to escape him again.

He knew these next few hours with her were going to be a true test of his character. He had become very impatient, pushed almost to his limit. Now, he would have to fight his own urges to reach out and claim what his body wanted from her. It was hard enough for him to not steal a kiss earlier when she had mentioned and warned him against it. He was fully aware of how easily her anger could flare. He would need to be uncharacteristically gentle and affectionate towards her, because he may have just caught her, but one pushy sadistic move on his part and she would slip free of him with a fiery wrath.

Law knew he needed to coax her out of the shell she was hiding in. 'Why is she so hesitant?' he wondered to himself. He didn't expect that a beautiful temptress like her was a virgin, she couldn't be with the sexual confidence she had, so what was it?

* * *

Nami was panicking, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't leave, the island wasn't safe. How was meant to stay in that room with him after she'd just that second been openly staring at his naked body? And she was fantasizing about him!

The small dinning table and chairs were on his side of the room. Her section was the bed, but she couldn't sit there, that was too suggestive! Would he not think the same though if she sat on his side?

Her heart was racing and her hands were in her hair. She couldn't get her mind in order. 'He'll be out soon, act normal!' Nami told herself. She switched on the floor lamp and picked up a book out of the small selection provided, and sat down at the table to read.

She heard a low chuckle come from Law as he exited the bathroom. It was caused by the lack of acknowledgement shown on her part, no doubt. He walked towards her, and pulled out a chair from beneath the table. Nami looked up at him then. The knowing smile on his face made her angry and excited.

"Will you put some clothes on!" she ordered. Law had sat down wearing only a towel wrapped around his hips.

"My clothes are wet." he reminded her.

"Fine. I will dry them for you." Nami declared. She got up from the table and walked to the bed to grab her Clima-Tact. She gave him a wide berth as she walked to the bathroom to dry his belongings.

Minutes later she reappeared. "Here!" she said as she threw them at him. "Put them on."

The Surgeon of Death got up to do as she had asked. Nami skirted away from him as he approached. Then returned to her book while he was getting dressed. It didn't particularly sound like an interesting book, some love story, but she continued to read it anyway.

When Law came out of the bathroom he stared at her for a few moments. Nami didn't look up at him, but she could see him out of the corner of her eye. She had butterflies in her stomach from being under his gaze for so long. She took deep breathes to calm herself, and cool her cheeks down.

Law turned off all the lights except her reading lamp, then went to the window. Nami imagined he was looking for anyone who might pose a threat. He was there for some time before he joined her at the table again.

"Nami-ya." he called. She felt heat and colour arise on her face.

She lifted her eyes from the book to look at him. Despite everything, she was determined to still be her usual bold self.

"What?" she asked, then her eyes quickly darted away from his and back to her book. 'So much for being bold' she thought to herself.

He tilted his head to the side and continued to examine her face. She knew his smirk was growing, and she hated it. The atmosphere was practically suffocating, so Nami closed her book and got up from the table.

"Nami-ya," he called after her. She had managed to get a few paces away, so he quickly stood up and stepped towards her. "Come here." Law suggested. He lightly took hold of her left wrist and tried to gently pull her towards him.

"No!" she insisted, withdrawing her arm from his grasp. She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at him.

"Why not?" he questioned. The compelling expression on his face quickly turned bleak.

"I don't trust you." Nami explained. She could feel her heart beating in her chest and throat.

"Why?" he asked. "I tried to protect you from that alligator-man. I have carefully looked after your wound. I've given you food, shelter and clothing on board my ship. I'm currently taking you back to your crew, and I have been protecting you the whole time we've been on this island, too." Law reasoned.

His expression made her feel guilty. He had done all those things, and they were amiable, but he'd also made her feel that she couldn't trust herself.

"More importantly, I haven't tried to force you to do anything. Tell me, what have I done to make you not trust me?"

"You nearly dropped my off the edge of your ship." Nami countered.

"I told you I wouldn't have dropped you!" he assured her. Law used that opportunity to step forward and place his hands on both her shoulders. "Be honest with me." he urged.

"Nothing." she affirmed shaking her head.

"If I haven't made you distrust me, then what is it?" Law pushed. He ran his knuckles lightly down her left arm.

'That!' Nami thought to herself as she concentrated on where his fingers trailed her skin. She finally looked up to meet his eyes. "You're not my captain." she proclaimed, shrugging her shoulders.

"And you don't trust anyone who isn't on your crew. Is that it?" he jeered.

"It's not like that!" Nami tried to explain. She truly felt bad by how openly disappointed he was.

"Whatever. That is a pathetic excuse so you can try and lie to yourself." Law sighed. "I know you are attracted to me, and I definitely am to you." he admitted as he brushed a lock of her hair over her shoulder. "Just kiss me, once. If it is what you really want, then I will never ask you for anything like this again."

Nami thought about his plea for a moment. Every possible outcome to the situation ran through her mind as she stood in front of him. She knew she wanted his lips on hers. She at least needed to taste him once. She didn't want to be involved with him in any way, but she definitely wanted him. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if he kept his word. He'd promised to stay away and leave her alone. If he did that, she would be fine.

She remembered how she felt when she was in his arms, leaning over the handrail. How amazing his body felt pressed against hers. When she'd explored his body in the Aquarium Bar ... Nami had more reasons to say yes than she did to say no.

With a heated sigh, Nami finally stopped resisting him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, then ran them down his chest as she leant up to meet his lips. They felt soft, and warm, as he placed chaste kisses on her. It frustrated her. He'd been slowly tormenting her for who knows how long, and that's the sort of kiss she gets from him?

She pulled her lips away from his then, and looked up into his eyes. An expression on her face that showed her disappointment.

"You are beautiful, Nami-ya." his soft, low voice kindled something within her. Wrapping her head to toe in a warm blanket of lust.

A second later, his hand shot to the back of her head, drawing her towards him again. He pulled on her orange curls, keeping her face angled towards him as he leant down and roughly pushed his tongue through her lips.

Her tongue instinctively moved to meet his, to taste him, to excite him. She couldn't describe it. The flavour of him was so seductive, so distinctly him … Nami could no longer think coherently. She couldn't get enough, and she hungrily kissed him back. Her entire body ignited with a heated desire when his hands slid down her sides in a feather light touch, and rested on her hips.

Her hands had stopped at his waist. She wanted to reach beneath his t-shirt, to touch his naked skin, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back if she did.

Nami stepped away from him then, a little breathless to say the least. His gorgeous yellow eyes stared at her, taking in the sight of how he'd affected her. He licked his top lip as he smirked at her. Nami's face grew hotter with embarrassment, and she sucked in her bottom lip and turned her back to him.

"Thanks" he said, through a soft laugh. He swept all of Nami's hair off her back, and over her left shoulder.

"What's so funny?" Nami demanded. His laugh had irritated her so much she refused to turn and face him again.

"I was going to give up on you." He began to explain. "I asked for a kiss to satisfy my desires, as a means of closure." Law paused then. Nami was certain he had a triumphant smile spread across his lips. "But now I know that between us, there will never be 'just a kiss' because there is more to us than that. And, I know I can have so much more"

"Like hell you can, you presumptuous bastard!" Nami shouted, and began to stomp over to the table to and grab her book. Law quickly threw his left arm around her waist to stop her. His other hand trailed down to cup between her legs.

"Law" she moaned breathlessly as he kissed down the back of her neck, then all the way up to just behind her ear, and massaged her through the yellow bikini bottoms she was wearing. Her hands rested on top of his arms, but she never tried to pull them away. She squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on nothing but the hot and electrifying sensations he sent through her body as his fingers rubbed against her.

Nami's breathing became too heavy, too fast. She had known she'd wanted him for quite a while now, but she wasn't sure of just how much until his hands were on her. A warm and desperate ache started to pool between her legs, and she moved her hips to press herself against the fingers pleasuring her.

She raised her left arm above her head and knocked his hat off. Nami ran her fingers through his messy hair and gave it a gentle tug. Her right hand slipped behind her back to grab him through his jeans. Law was hard, he pressed himself further into her hold and rolled his hips, moaning hungrily against her neck as he continued to suck and kiss at her skin.

He kept an arm tight around her waist, pulling her into his body as he leant against her. Both Nami's hands moved to steady herself against the table as he slowly bent her forward. Law's hand moved from her waist to reach up beneath her clothes and cup her left breast, kneading her gently. His large hand felt so warm against her sensitive skin he caused Nami to cry out a feverish mewl, earning another hungry moan from the man pressed firmly against her body, as he dragged his teeth lightly over the crook of her neck.

She couldn't stifle the loud moan that escaped her lips when his right hand slid inside her bikini bottoms. One of his fingers brushed over her clitoris, causing her jolt with pleasure. The action forcing her hips backwards, pushing her ass against his erection.

Nami really couldn't even think straight any more. She had promised herself that she would ignore any sexual desire she had for this man, but how could she do that when she could feel him pressed against her. His hot fingers trailing through the lips between her legs. She wanted nothing more than for him to push one of those fingers inside of her. To bury them so deep you could no longer see his tattoos.

He removed his hands from her then, leaving Nami painfully disappointed. Law spun her around to face him. "I told you" he whispered, nipping her earlobe before moving to look at her expression. His eyes went wide with shock when they met with hers.

"Bastard!" Nami shouted, before picking up the book from the table and trying to hit him with it.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't want to be physically or emotionally affected by him, it would just complicate her life. Nami hated herself for giving in to him, especially because he was now teasing her about it.

"I'm sorry." he said in a flash. Both his hands quickly cupping her face, while his lips kissed her apologetically. He let Nami hit him a few times with the book before prying it from her fingers, and casting it out of reach.

"Stop it!" Nami demanded.

"I said I was sorry." he pleaded.

"Sorry for what?" Nami growled. Not actually expecting to get an answer.

Law curled his fingers, and lightly ran them down the tear track on her cheek, before moving to softly kiss her lips.

"Tsk!" was all the response Nami gave as she pulled away before he could make contact. She was even more angry with herself because he'd noticed.

The Surgeon of Death defiantly stepped closer to her, forcing her to sit on the table if she didn't want their bodies to touch again.

She continuously etched away from him, slowly lowering herself down until she was propped up on the table by her elbows, with nowhere else to go. Law followed after her. He parted her legs, pushing them either side of one of the corners, then stood between them. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into him, as he leant over her and chased after her lips.

Nami craned her neck to meet him. Her feet found two nearby chairs and she rested her heels on them for support. She threw her arms around his neck to keep him from pulling away from her. His tongue snaked between her lips to briefly meet hers, before he gently sucked her bottom lip into his mouth.

Nami's breath caught in her throat then as she heard the zipper on her make shift dungarees being pulled down. She unconsciously pushed her hips up to grind herself against him.

"Nami-ya." he said in a deep husky voice, drawing her attention. She moved her hands to his shoulders as she pushed away from him slightly.

Their eyes met then, faces only centimetres away from one another. Nami tried to control her breathing, to no avail. She was overly aware of how scandalous she must look. Panting heavily, with a crimson flush to her cheeks, and swollen lips. She tried not to think about the throbbing sensation between her legs that caused her to ache through lust and its emptiness. She tried to not look at his lips, but she knew they were parted, and she wanted them on her again. His eyes searched hers for a few moments, before he plunged one of his slender fingers inside of her.

Nami's eyes fluttered shut through the sensual intrusion. A soft moan left her lips before Law's were on them, his tongue mimicking the motion of his finger inside her, exploring her. 'He wanted to see that' the navigator managed to coherently assume. It made her feel incredible to know that he desired to see her reactions to his touch.

Nami moved her hands to his waist then, dragging his t-shirt up, so she could get to his naked skin beneath. She explored his body. Her hands trailed over every taut muscle they could find. Her nails grazing his back, and sides.

His tongue continued to fuel her lust and excitement. His finger slowly moving in and out of her, teasing her as she moved against it. He quickly added a second when she clenched around him, trying to steal more pleasure from the single digit sliding in and out of her.

Law set the pace of his fingers to tantalisingly slow, and their kiss reduced to the same speed. Nami felt like killing him, she was getting too frustrated. She needed him to move faster. She wanted him deep inside her, hard and fast. Through primal desire she ground her hips more urgently against him, hoping he would give her what her body needed.

He sinistrally untied the knot in his yellow t-shirt that Nami had borrowed and lifted it up over her breasts. His lips pulled away from hers then, to look upon the bountiful chest he had just unveiled.

She saw hunger in his eyes as he slipped her right breast from her bikini, and greedily lapped at her nipple. Electricity surged through her body, only adding to the pleasure she felt as he stoked the inferno between her legs.

Law curled his fingers, and began to piston them in and out of her, his pace gradually increasing. She felt his mouth sucking at the side of her breast, but she was thoroughly enjoying everything he was doing to her body. She didn't have the will power to protest against him leaving his mark on her flesh. Nami raked the nails of one hand down his back, the other roughly tugging at his hair while he sucked at her soft skin.

Nami could feel her climax building inside of her. The muscles in her abdomen contracted sporadically has it pooled. The thumb of his dominant hand began to draw slow circles against her clit, adding to her warm pleasure. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her mind became hazy as he overwhelmed her body with sensation.

She moaned loudly through erratic breaths as her orgasm erupted, causing her to shudder beneath him in ecstasy. Her mind went blank, and a weakness spread to her limbs.

He hungrily kissed her lips again before removing his fingers from inside her. Law rested his left hand on the table and looked down at Nami, pushing his erection against her, while he sucked and licked her juices from the fingers of his right hand. The expression on his face was as lascivious as his actions.

Desire ignited again within Nami. She reached up and fisted Law's t-shirt to drag him down towards her.

The door to their room quickly flung open and five or six marines dragged Law off Nami and tackled him to the ground, instantly clamping kairoseki handcuffs on his wrists and ankles. Two of them bound Nami before she even got chance to think about attacking.

"Fuck!" he bellowed as he fought against them before his strength was drained.

The marines grabbed both of their weapons, and Law's coat and hat. Then dragged them bare foot to the harbour and escorted them on board a warship.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to say ...
> 
> Oh, but is you don't like or understand Nami's hesitance, then don't worry just yet, she's purposely not explaining herself fully. I do have a good reason for her though. It'll make sense by the end of the fic'. 
> 
> 27th June 2014


	12. More Than Just An Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One piece belongs to Oda Eiichiro.

* * *

 

Nico Robin was peacefully enjoying the cool morning's breeze as she tended to her flower garden. It was the seventh day that she had been the sole female on board the Thousand Sunny. She openly missed her crew's navigator, and their allies, as did everyone else.

"Robin-chwan~" Sanji sung as he strode out onto the top deck, to bring her a morning cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Sanji-san." Robin smiled. She put her watering can down, then and sat at the small table to enjoy her drink, and to wait for the News Coo.

Her gaze naturally found its way to the man standing at the helm. His royal blue shirt with red palm trees flapped in the wind against his back. His hair today was more akin to the style he had when she first met him. It suited him so well, she thought. It always reminded her of Water 7, and not just because his hair was the colour of the shallow ocean. To her, this style looked like a tidal wave, just like the Aqua Laguna that annually devastated his home.

Nico Robin smiled with fondness. Not just for the man who currently held her gaze, but for everything about Water 7. That island had shown her the true colours of the crew she sailed with. She now knew she had a home, friends, a future. More importantly, she had hope.

The squawk of a seagull drew Robin's gaze to the sky. The News Coo landed on the handrail next to her, perched on one foot. She took one of the rolled papers from under its wing, and offered a coin in exchange. The bird extended its leg towards her, revealing a letter that was clutched between its talons. It was addressed to 'Mugiwara-ya'. Robin took the envelope and thanked the bird. With a squawk it took flight again, leaving her in shock as she saw what was today's front page news.

"Franky, can you call everyone to the kitchen?" she asked, her voiced was filled with mixed emotion.

* * *

The Strawhat crew, and their guests, gathered in the galley on board the Thousand Sunny. Once everyone was sat in their place around the table, Robin got up and handed the morning's paper to Luffy, along with the letter.

"Read that out loud." she insisted.

Luffy looked up at her in confusion until he turned his attention to the paper in his hand. "Wow, Tora-o is brave!" he laughed as he looked at the image on the front page.

"Why, what has he done? Nothing mightier than the brave God, Usopp!" the sniper boasted. He laughed for few moments and then sat back down.

"He kissed Nami. Look!" The young captain informed his crew as he turned the paper to show them.

"W-what?" Usopp stammered.

Sanji instantly shot up from his seat and snatched the publication from Luffy's hands. Tears streamed down his face as he took in the full page image before his eyes. "Nami-san!" he sobbed.

The picture on the front page was of Trafalgar Law and Nami stood close together down an alleyway, their faces hidden behind Law's hood. The tattoo on the shoulder of the woman was proof it was their navigator, and the hat clutched in the tattooed right hand of the man, proved it was Trafalgar Law.

"She's even wearing one of their uniforms." Sanji shakily pointed out through sniffs and splutters.

"They're just clothes, Sanji." Chopper tried to console him.

"No! She's joined his crew." He cried. He fell to the floor, moping in a pool of tears.

Luffy took the paper back and began to read the title of the article out loud. " _'More than just an alliance, full story on page two.'_ " Luffy shrugged as he turned the page.

"Ex-shichibukai Trafalgar Law of the Heart pirates, and the Cat Thief Nami of the Strawhat crew were both arrested last night by marines. They are currently en route to Headquarters to stand trial."

Brook had dropped his tea at these words. Everyone else remained quiet, their moods shifting from being mildly amused at the cover photograph, to quite seriously worried. Every member of the crew sat on the edge of their seats. Sanji managed to drag himself off the floor to reclaim his place at the table.

Luffy continued, "After forming an alliance …" then he decided to skip most of the article, mumbling some words out loud. "The lovers were captured last night at their hotel, cutting their romantic getaway short." he concluded.

"A romantic getaway?" Usopp echoed.

Sanji took the paper to read the full article for himself.

"Would they really announce that they were going to HQ, if they actually were?" Zoro questioned.

"They wouldn't. When have they ever done anything by the book?" Franky surmised

"They lied about Ace's execution time, too." Luffy remembered.

"Captain. There is also a letter from Trafalgar-san." Robin reminded him.

"Ah!" Luffy said and opened it immediately.

_'Mugiwara-ya, after long consideration, I have decided that the safest island for us to meet on would be Wano Country. It is not under the jurisdiction of any of the Yonko, nor is it affiliated with the World Government. It is an ideal rendezvous place, and your ship also has business there. We are currently four days from Wano Country. Bepo has a vivre card for the Heart pirates, just in case. -Trafalgar Law.'_

"He wants us to meet him on Wano." Luffy happily divulged.

"He wrote that before he got himself arrested, and our navigator! Are you not worried about my beautiful Nami-swan at all? This is all your fault for letting him sail off with her in the first place!" Sanji ranted.

"Tora-o is a good guy. He'll work something out." Luffy smiled.

"I don't think that's quite what the idiot cook means." Zoro started.

"But he didn't want to leave Bepo." Chopper asserted in the doctor's defence.

"No, but Law was pretty quick to leave his navigator with us after Luffy reminded him that he had Nami." Zoro pointed out.

"And, why didn't he treat Bepo, and let Chopper look after Nami? He can move things with his ability. He easily could have swapped Nami with the Bepo, so she could have remained with us." Usopp argued.

"I'm not sure he is the ally you think he is, Luffy." Zoro said as he leant back in his seat.

"Nami trusts him, otherwise she wouldn't kiss him." Luffy tried to assure his crew. His trust in Trafalgar Law unwavering.

"Can we at least call his ship?!" Sanji shouted.

* * *

The Surgeon of Death sat in his cell feeling absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. The shackles around his ankles had been removed, but kairoseki manacles at his wrists were keeping him weak. Being propped up against his jail cell did not help as it was also made of kairoseki, but he didn't have the strength to peel himself off it.

Law had been silently reprimanding himself all night. He had been so determined to have Nami. She had utterly entranced him as she writhed beneath him in ecstasy. He had completely lowered his guard, giving the marines an opportunity to arrest them. Law's body still ached with a burning need for her, but the handcuffs stopped his body from physically reacting. She really was the bad sort of distraction that he initially thought she was.

When he wasn't reprimanding himself, the Surgeon of Death had been constantly paying attention to every sound that he heard. After he was thrown in his cell, the marine captain told the jailer to put the keys in the safe in his quarters. Which were apparently near the officer's mess hall. He had listened for the jailer's footsteps as he left, trying to distinguish where he went. He lost track of him after the sound of his steps clanged against a metal stairwell. Too many thuds came from the floor above, drowning out the man he was tracking.

He had kept himself awake all night trying to picture what the was going on outside of the room that contained his cell. Every foot step he heard now filled him with unrestrained hatred. He imagined how gratifying it would feel to chop up every marine on board this ship. If only he wasn't handcuffed. He hoped none of them were going to try to question him. He certainly wasn't in the mood for an interrogation.

Nami had been separated from him the moment they were dragged on board. Every time he heard a female voice his head would turn, forcing his ear in the direction of the door. He was desperate for some news of her, to know what they planned to do with her, or if she was still alive or not.

Two men who had been walked along the corridor had stopped within earshot of Law's cell block.

"Did you know she was his woman?" One of them asked, in a deep voice.

"No." the other grunted.

"Maybe we should have some fun with her, and force him to watch!" The excitement in the man's voice angered Law. Nami wasn't anybody's to mess with, not even his!

"Then slit his throat in front of her!" The second man sounded even more elated than his partner.

"It's only what they'd do to us. We'd be doing the world a great justice by killing them both."

"Fucking marines," Law cursed. "They're worse than pirates!" Memories of the corrupt Vergo came crashing back to him.

"Are we really going to HQ? They don't need a trial. They're guilty!" Law narrowed his eyes at hearing this. Even he knew that they wouldn't be going to Headquarters.

"No. We would only need to go there to decide if they were going to be killed or not. The news paper only wrote that to try and lure their crews there. These two are getting thrown straight in jail!" The man with the deep voice explained, sounding very sure of himself.

"About what we joked about before … ?" The other man inquired.

"I wasn't joking."

"Good. Tonight then." That last remark made Law think it was a statement, a promise, and not a question. He needed to get out of his cell, and fast.

* * *

Trafalgar Law drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the day. He fought the urge, but he couldn't keep his eyes from closing. He was woken up once by the violent scraping of chairs along the flooring, some where over head. Law was brought some food not long after he'd heard that, so he assumed that there was a mess hall of some kind on the floor above.

It seemed the marines were too afraid to try and question him. That, or they just didn't see the point. From how the G5 had reacted to him on Punk Hazard, he imagined it was the former. The only contact he'd had since being locked up was when he had been brought his food. Three small meals, carried in by the meekest kitchen assistant imaginable. When Trafalgar Law refused to eat it, the young man ate a few morsels, letting him know it was not poisoned.

As the skies out side his window darkened, so did Law's mood. Night was drawing in quickly, and he hadn't had one opportunity to escape. 'Had those marines made those threats so he could hear them, to raise his stress levels, or were they actually going to go through with what they said?' They had definitely succeeded in severely angering him.

The entire ship suddenly started to violently vibrate. He could hear shouting and panic, but there was too much noise for his to discern anything.

"Oi!" Law shouted, but no one came.

Marines were frantically running backwards and forwards along the corridor outside his cell.

"KYAAAAHH!" Law heard. There was a pain in his chest that gave him a slight reminder of when Vergo had crushed his heart. 'That was Nami-ya.' he thought to himself. He had heard her scream so many times. It sounded quite distant, like it came from a different level of the ship.

What was going on? What was happening to Nami-ya?

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost got carried away with the bit of FRobin at the start of this one! 
> 
> 4th July 2014


	13. The Cat Thief, Nami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, and all its characters. I wish I did … but I don't.

* * *

 

The anger Nami felt towards the marines that had captured her and Law far out weighed any embarrassment she felt for their ill-timed intrusion. She was intrigued as to what emotion Law's furious curse derived from. She'd seen a heat behind his eyes as he stared down at her, licking his fingers, and pressing his erection against her. Was his cry from sexual frustration, or the fact that he'd allowed them to get arrested?

Nami watched Trafalgar Law as he was dragged away from her, too weak to struggle against his restraints. She had been separated from him the moment they were on board the marine vessel. Both taken to different ends of the brig, she imagined.

"What business did you and Trafalgar Law have on Purpure Island?" A marine woman asked Nami moments after throwing her in a cell, whilst locking the barred door.

Nami immediately turned, glowering at her inquisitor, refusing to speak. The two woman stared at one and other, both refusing to back down. The marine was a short woman with sharp blue eyes, a weathered face, chapped lips, and hair of alpine green scraped back into a bun.

She grabbed a chair from under desk in the corner of the room, then sat down opposite the cell door. "Have it your way." The woman growled, then spat in Nami's direction.

Nami jumped backwards, not wanting to get any of that woman's disgusting saliva on her. She stared in repulsion, appalled by the marine's lack of manners.

"Why would y-" Nami began to ask, but stopped as she heard a faint fizzing sound. She looked down in front of her to where the marine's spit had landed. A small plume of smoke rose from the spot where her saliva was burning through the wooden floor, exposing the metal frame beneath.

"Acid." The woman was kind enough to divulge. "The only thing it won't burn through is kairoseki." She pulled a small metal cup from her pocket and began to deposit her saliva into it.

Nami looked to her feet again and noticed that the metal beneath was not melting, and assumed that both the floor and the cup were made of kairoseki. She watched the woman for a few moments. She was slightly nauseated by the marines distasteful use of her ability.

"As the men who captured us will probably tell you, we were on a romantic holiday." Nami lied. Of course, it was so close to the truth that she could tell it rather convincingly. She wasn't about to tell the marines of the letter they had sent to her nakama.

"Where are the Heart Pirates, and the Strawhats?" The woman asked. Trying to flatten the few wisps of hair that had escaped her up-do when she wasn't drooling into the cup.

"I left the Strawhat crew almost a week ago, and have no idea where they are. The Heart Pirates left us on Purpure this morning, and set sail again not long after. I do not know where Law's ship is, and neither does he." Nami explained. There was no need to try and lie to the woman, she really didn't know where either crew was.

"Very good." The woman responded, seemingly acceptant of what Nami had told her. She got up from her seat and threw the contains of her cup at Nami before leaving the room without another word.

Nami quickly evaded the fluid, and retched at the thought of what it was. She didn't let that idea get the better of her though, and knelt where it had landed. Nami lowered the chain of her handcuffs into it, hoping the substance would corrode the metal links so she could break them apart.

Not long after the acidic spit had used up it destructive property, fatigue got the better of Nami. She pulled her wrists apart to strain the chain between them, but it did not break. She crawled to the furthest corner of her cell, and curled up on the bed and went to sleep.

* * *

Nami was awoken by the sound of a metal tray being placed on the floor of her cell. She looked over her shoulder to see a slender young man with white blonde hair, bent on one knee at the cell door. He had removed an untouched tray of food, and brought her a new one. Lunch, she presumed.

"Poisoned." Nami accused.

Her words startled the young man. He lost his balance and fell to the side, landing on his bum.

"No, Ma'am." He avowed. His cheeks quickly tinted pink as their eyes met briefly. "Shall I test it for you?" He offered, too shy to look at her again.

Nami nodded, and made a sound in affirmation.

"Your friend asked the same of me." The man confessed as he took a small fork from his apron and stabbed it into a potato.

"Is he okay?" Nami quickly asked, trying to keep the concern out of her voice.

The man nodded as he swallowed his mouthful food, then picked up a small piece off the already carved chicken breast.

"Where is he?" Nami asked. She thought it was worth a try.

"I can not say, Ma'am. I must go." The man almost whispered.

She stayed where she was for a few moments after the kitchen assistant left. Nami was surprised by the amount of concern she had for Law's well-being. He had obviously succeeded in slipping past her defences, and her regard for him now was clearly more than a simple attraction.

Nami shut off her mind from thinking about him, and climbed off the bed to pick up her tray. She was more bothered about the utensils she had been given than the actual food. One wooden fork. She ate her meal with it before attempting to use it to weaken the corroded chain of her handcuffs.

The three tines of the fork snapped off one by one as Nami tried to free herself. The entire fork had snapped in half before she picked up the broken prongs and put them in the key hole, to try and pick the lock to the cuffs, but they were too big.

Nami sat on the floor with her knees raised, and her ankles crossed. She wrapped her arms around her legs and tried to force her knees to the ground. She hoped the strength in her legs could break the weakened chain, but it didn't work. Neither did placing her foot on the chain and pushing it away from her.

Nami gave up her efforts. It was useless. Unless the green haired marine woman came back to spit at her again. She was sure one more douse in the acid would be enough to break through.

* * *

Nami went through the same ritual after eating her evening meal. Once again, the tines snapped off, and the rest of the fork splintered, and the chain remained relatively intact. The sky was beginning to turn to shades of magenta and violet as the sun slowly crept below the horizon.

She'd had no more visits from the marines, save the blonde kitchen assistant. He had been too afraid to talk to her this time. Thankfully, he didn't question where her fork from lunch had disappeared to.

Nami paced her cell. He eyes were fixed on her handcuffs, trying to think of a way to break free. She didn't especially want to risk the marine woman spitting acid at her again, just in case she couldn't get rid of her, or she ended up actually getting burnt. Nami imagined that acidic spit would be quite painful if it got on her skin.

Two men broke her concentration as they entered the room.

"Come on, Cat Thief." One of the marines ordered as he unlocked her cell and opened the door.

His deep voice was laced with an malevolent undertone, and the smile on the other man's face made Nami think their visit wasn't juridical. She examined them both carefully, and then the room outside her cell before deciding to step out.

She strolled towards them as confidently as she could, with extra emphasis on the sway of her hips, trying to distract them. A dark chuckle came from the man who unlocked her cell as he placed his hand on her shoulder when she walked past him. She knew he would have no need to touch her. His actions only fuelled her wariness. The second hand he placed on her hip secured her suspicions.

Nami quickly leant forward and grabbed the top of chair that the marine woman had left outside her cell door. She swung it round one hundred and eighty degrees with all her body weight behind it. The metal rang as it collided with his head, instantly knocking him unconscious.

The other man lunged for Nami, tackling her to the ground. She landed hard on her hip, then was thrown on to her back. She desperately fought against her attacker, her legs thrashing and her bound hands trying to strike the man as he tried to restrain her.

Her struggle stopped as the marine punched her in the face. A sharp pain ran through her skull, clouding her thoughts, and halting her movements. The man buried his hand in Nami's hair to drag her to her feet. He lifted her hands up, and put his right arm between hers, then pulled her hands down over his head to rest on his left shoulder. The marine moved to rouse his co-worker. His prisoner draped around his neck, limp.

Clarity returned to Nami as the marine bend down and shook his friends shoulder. She took advantage of his position, quickly scrambling to her feet, then jumping on to the man's back. She manoeuvred her arms as best she could and pulled the chain of the handcuffs around the marines neck.

The man wheezed as he clawed at Nami's hands so she would release her grip. When that failed, he rammed her into the wall of the jail cell. Her hands held fast, her grip was tight. Nami could feel the life leaving the marine as his attempts to fight her became weaker and weaker. His last effort was to pull her hair. When his hand slid through her locks, Nami quickly released the pressure of the chain around his neck.

The marine fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Nami unhooked his keys from his belt and dragged him into the cell that previously held her, then quickly pulled the other marine to join his friend.

She stared down at them for a moment. Nami worried too much that she might have just strangled one of the to death, so she quickly placed her fingers on his neck to search for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she found one. It was weak, but at least he was still alive. The other man was bleeding heavily from his head wound.

The other marines keys were still in the door to the cell. Nami shut it and locked them both in, sticking her tongue out at the unconscious men in the process. She searched the large split ring for a key small enough to fit her cuffs. There were three, and thankfully one of the worked. Nami rubbed both her wrists the moment her restraints were gone.

Nami knew she had to free Law. She put both sets of the jailers keys in her pocket and poked her head out of the door. In that moment the entire ship started to violently vibrate. She quickly retreated back inside the room. Nami ducked down behind the door, her back pressed against the metal as she listened to the commotion in the corridor.

The marines were running back and forth down the aisles, shouting orders to one another. Nami clearly heard the words 'bilge pump', 'holed' and 'waterline'. She knew straight away what that meant, 'a collision' she thought to herself.

A dark shape moved past the window, drawing Nami's gaze. She got up from off the floor to try and get a better look. Her hand quickly shot to her left hip. The adrenaline wearing off from the tackle a few moments ago. The pain caused by the injury she sustained was now very apparent.

Nami limped towards the window. She screamed when she saw it, her hands darted to her mouth to stifle her cries. She slowly backed to away, her eyes fixed on the glass pane between her and the Sea King outside.

When she felt the cold metal of the door at her back, Nami removed one of the hands from her mouth to fumble with the door handle. She quickly exited the room, not caring if anyone was in the corridor or not. 'I have to find Law' she reminded herself, trying to forget the terrifying Sea King, then set off deeper into the ship to find him.

* * *

Nami quietly crept along the corridor to the brig. She put her hand on the painted white walls to steady herself. She peeked her head through the door to every block of cells. Metal rooms and empty bars, that's all there was. There didn't seem to be any other prisoners aboard besides Law and herself.

She heard boots clanging against the metal surface of the nearby stairwell. Nami ducked into the nearest room until the marines had past her. "Let the traitor drown." One of them said as they strode past the doorway of Nami's hiding place. 'Drown? Traitor?' Nami internally repeated. She looked to the stairwell that the men had just ascended and noticed wet foot prints on the navy corridor floor. The earlier mention of a bilge pump sprang to mind then as Nami descended the stairs.

The lower floor to the brig was covered in a couple of inches of sea water. Nami knew she had to act fast. If she could manage to free Law then she knew he already wouldn't be able to use his ability because of the submerged floor, and pretty soon he would be completely immobile. The Strawhat's navigator didn't bother to sneak on this floor of the brig. She barged into every room with haste, eager to find her ally.

"Law!" She beamed when she found his cell.

"Nami-ya!" Trafalgar Law marvelled as she entered. He quickly turned around to greet her. His eye's moved from her face to her limp as she walked towards him. "Are you okay?" He queried. There was a look of worry on his face that surprised her.

"I'm fine." Nami confirmed, holding her cheek where the marine had punched her. Her eyes were unable to meet his as he brought his bound hands up to her cheek.

"What did they do to you?" he growled. His thumb gently brushing over the tender area which was now darkening to form a bruise.

"Ouch." Nami winced. "Nothing. They didn't do anything."

"I heard you scream!" Law grumbled.

Nami furrowed her brows, trying to remember if she had screamed or not. "Oh that!" She finally recalled. "I saw a Sea King next to the ship. It has ripped a hole in the hull." Nami reasoned, pointing to all the water on the floor.

She grabbed one of the cell bars for support and lowered herself down to look at the lock. "Shit." Nami cursed in utter disappointment. She took both sets of keys from her pockets to look for one that might fit.

"What are you swearing at?" Law asked her.

"The lock. It's a three barrel tri-lock." Nami explained, holding up three fingers in the shape of a triangle. "This one," she said as she waggled her middle finger, "requires a barrel key. The bottom two need bit keys." Nami stood back up to face him then. "We need the key. Or, I'd have to be Nico Robin, or have three pairs of hands in order to pick this lock."

"The key is in one of the officer's quarters, next to the mess hall. I think it's upstairs." Law disclosed.

That worried her a little, she hadn't seen a mess hall upstairs, not that she had ventured beyond the brig.

"Give me your hands." Nami asked. She tried all of the smaller keys to unlock Law's cuffs but none of them worked.

"Nami-ya, just go while you still have a chance to get off this ship."

The water level was now well above their ankles.

"Don't be stupid. I'm not leaving you behind." Nami yelled at him as she rummaged through the desk in the room. She found a couple of paper clips on some documents that were in the drawers.

Law held his hands up without being asked. Nami worked the pieces of metal until the cuffs clicked free.

"So, you can pick locks." Law observed. "What about cracking a safe?"

"I wouldn't be a very good thief if I couldn't!" Nami laughed. "Can you not do your thing?" She asked. Mimicking his expanding room with her hands.

"The bars are kairoseki. My room won't penetrate them." Law explained. "Just go, Nami-ya. By the time you will have gotten the key I'll already be dead!"

"No you won't! Why will you?" She argued.

"This room is filling up pretty fast. By the time the water level gets to my waist, I won't have the strength to stand up, and I will drown."

"So stop wasting time arguing with me, and drag the bed to a shallower part and stand on it!" She fumed at his defeatist attitude.

"NAMI!" He roared as she left the room in search of the key.

'That man certainly has a death wish.' the navigator thought to herself, closing the door behind her.

The water level was now just below her knees. She really did need to hurry.

'First when he was little, then against Doflamingo, and now this! Is that why he has DEATH tattooed on his knuckles, so he won't forget?' Her mind continued to wonder.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11th July 2014


	14. Make Haste, Nami-ya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, and all its characters.

Nami raced back to the metal stairway as fast as she could. The rising water was almost up to the middle of her calf, making it difficult for her to tread. Her hip seemed to be getting increasingly worse. She had her hand on the joint trying to offer support and protection through every painful footstep that she took. Nami had to take the stairs one step at a time, with both her hands gripping the handrail for aid as she almost dragged herself up them.

Once she was on the floor above, Nami tried to adopt more stealthy movements. 'A mess hall.' She remembered. Her eyes swept the corridor to look for marines, and to try to decide the more logical direction to head in to begin her search. Her current position on the ship seemed pretty central. 'The stern.' Nami decided, and she immediately headed aft.

The Cat Thief kept her back to the wall and skirted the passageway. She poked her head around the junction in the corridor, checking to see if it was clear before she made her way around the corner to the exit of the brig.

Nami rested for a moment with her back against the door, then pushed it ajar to get a glimpse of the ship beyond. She waited there a few moments before venturing out. Nami had to remind herself that she had to hurry. She gathered her courage and pushed through the door to begin checking every room.

The ship rocked more noticeably now that it was stationary. Every rolling wave that crashed into the hull caused Nami to steady herself. It cracked and creaked as if it were in pain. The power was slowly failing, causing the lights to dim and brighten sporadically. The shouting and panic she could hear from the upper decks only added to the feeling she had that the ship was going to sink. There was no way the marines would manage to patch her up, and Nami doubted she had a Klabautermann.

The next door she opened halted her thoughts of the ship. Two large wooden dining tables ran parallel to each other, silhouetted by the reflection of the dusky sky on the freshly polished lacquered floor. All the chairs where stacked into six columns in the left hand corner. Her face lit up, and relief warmed her. Nami knew she was close. 'Next to the mess hall.' Law had said. Nami quickly shut the door when she heard clutter from the kitchen, and a noticed that there were lights on through the serving hatch.

The first couple of rooms she checked weren't the captains quarters. The first was utility cupboard, so Nami armed herself with the handle from a broom, and some industrial strength bleach, just in case. The second door led to the restroom.

When she opened the correct door, Nami was greeted by both of their weapons, and Law's hat and coat. She discarded the broom handle and put her Clima-Tact in the pocket of her dungarees, in case she was interrupted, and searched the room for a safe.

The small safe was hidden in the bottom of the wardrobe. Nami felt it would be easy enough to crack. The thief had cracked more complex locks than this three wheel combination lock. All she had to do was listen for the gentle clicks of the drive pin against the tumblers. The lights on the ship completely failed then. Nami froze for a moment unable to see anything in the darkness. She decided against opening the stutter covering the window. The lose of her vision would only heighten her sense of hearing, making it easier to open the safe.

After a few short minutes Nami heard a motor churn to life, a generator pumping energy back through the electrical system. She already had the contents to the safe in her pocket, and was on her way back to the brig before the corridors were bright again. She had Law's hat on her head, and his coat on her back. His nodachi was in her and as it was awkward to carry, it was almost as tall as she was. Nami used her mirage tempo for extra cover, just in case she ran into any marines on her way back to rescue Law.

As Nami got back to the entrance of the brig, the vile marine woman was there, and she didn't seem to be going anywhere. She was leaning against the wall, spitting into her cup again. Nami knew she would have to get by her, and she really didn't have time to fight. Nami also couldn't risk using her more powerful lightning attacks. She cursed herself for leaving the bleach back in the captain's quarters.

'Should I just use Law's sword?' Nami thought to herself. She was quite sure that the ringing of the blade against the sheath would give her position away. There was also the question of its size, Nami wasn't sure she would be able to wield it, even if the small corridor allowed enough room for her to draw the weapon. A better idea came to mind then, so Nami began to piece her staff together, careful not to let the metal rods clink against one and other as she assembled it.

"Milky ball!" Nami called out as she fired the white cloud towards the marine. It held her firmly to the wall she was residing against, and rendered the cup in her hand useless.

"Bitch!" The marine shouted as Nami hobbled past her.

She spat at her, but Nami quickly used her gust sword to repel it.

"I will get you, Cat Thief!" The angry marine screamed.

Nami knew she didn't have long before the woman would use her ability and free herself, so she hurried back to the brig. She knew the marine couldn't chase after her down there because of the rising water. There was now an obvious slant to the deck, proof that the ship was rapidly sinking.

When she got back to the stairwell to the lower floor, dread filled Nami and she froze where she was standing. The water level had risen significantly while she's been looking for the key to Law's cell. The dark floor made it impossible for the eye to tell just how deep it was, but the faint lights in the corridor cast a turquoise glow over the top most three steps.

Nami descended slowly, her eyes fixed on the dark water below. When her left foot entered the water, its temperature caused her to instantly retract her limb from it. Nami couldn't quite believe just how cold it was, but there was no other way, she couldn't not get in the water if she wanted to free Law. She took a deep breath and put her foot back in.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to adjust to the cold before she took another step down. The biting cold water against her bare legs was nothing compared to what she felt as her torso was submerged. 'Six steps.' She counted as she entered the water. Her brain continued to remind herself of that, trying to keep her attention off the icy temperature of the ocean. It caused Nami to take short, rapid, gasping breaths as the water level crept up her body and stopped just below her breasts.

The lights down the corridor began to flicker, the power from the generator was slowing beginning to wane. "Hurry up." Nami ordered herself out loud. She knew it would be faster to swim, but she couldn't bring her self to lower her heart or head below the waterline, it was just too cold. She clutched Law's sword and her Clima-Tact to her chest and pushed forward.

With a loud crack the ship violently moved beneath her feet. The water level instantly rising to a couple of inches below her collar bone, causing her to gasp deeply. Nami swam then, as best as she could. Law's long coat made it difficult for her, her injured hip making it more so. The cold was slowly starting to fog her mind, and she could feel her hands trembling.

She finally made it back to his cell. "Law!" She shouted as she pushed the door open.

Nami panicked when she couldn't see him. She took a deep breath, covered her nose, and ducked beneath the water. She opened her eyes briefly, but the salty ocean stung and caused her to close them again instantly. Nami tried again. She fought through the pain and looked into his cell.

It was as he had warned her. She had arrived back to find Law's lifeless body resting on the floor of his cell beneath the waves.


	15. Vice-captain Odharnait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, and all its characters.

Nami dropped Law's sword and her Clima-Tact, and rushed to open his cell door. She rummaged to retrieve the unusual three pronged key, which in her haste had gotten stuck in her pocket. She tore the fabric of the dungarees as she frantically yanked it free. Her trembling hands made hard work of getting the key in the door, but she finally aligned it correctly and slammed it into the lock, quickly turning it and swinging the door open.

She filled her lungs with air and dived to grab Law. The salt water stung less this time as she opened her eyes to see where he was. Nami wrapped an arm around his waist, pushed them off the floor with her feet, and dragged him to the surface.

The moment their heads emerged from the water Nami shouted to him. Calling his name repeatedly when he didn't instantly rouse. Her eyes searched his face looking for any hint of life, but there was none. He was limp in her arms, his head lulled backwards when she didn't support it, and his arms hung loosely by his sides. Nami held her hand in front of his face, and placed her ear to his chest, held her breath and listened.

To her horror, she noticed that he wasn't breathing, but then she was greeted by the painfully beautiful sound of a faint heartbeat. Tears instantly filled her eyes. She wasn't too late. She hadn't lost him, yet. Nami knew in-water resuscitation was difficult, but not impossible. If he didn't have a pulse then she wouldn't be able to do anything until they were on the upper floor, with solid ground beneath them.

Nami stuck her fingers in Law's mouth to check his airway wasn't blocked before she tilted his head and sealed her lips against his, forcing air into his lungs. After a few breaths Law still didn't respond. Nami stuffed his hat in his coat pocket, and quickly dived to get his sword and her Clima-Tact, which she mindlessly discarded when she entered the room.

She continued trying to revive him as she swam with him along the corridor. Every few seconds stopping to give him breath, then continuing until there was no room between the water level and the ceiling. The ship groaned deafeningly loud as the hull began to buckle. It was sinking so fast that most of the current deck was now completely submerged, causing the lights to dim and flicker around them.

Nami was at the staircase in no time. Once she was half way up, she readied her Clima-Tact as she dragged Law's body up the stairs to the next floor. She dropped their weapons on the deck, then ascended the remaining stairs backwards, facing Law as she pulled him up the last few steps.

She was struck over the head the second they were both at the top of the stairs, causing her to drop Law, his feet still in the water that flooded the stairwell. Searing pain started to course through her skull, a white light momentarily replaced her vision.

Though her mind was clouded by the severe blow she had just received, and foggy through enduring an ice cold swim, Nami was just about coherent enough to scramble to pick up her staff. It was the green haired marine woman from earlier that day who had hit her. Her hand was reaching to her hip, to grab the gun from her holster. Without hesitation Nami blasted her with her gust sword. It sent her tumbling down the corridor, then she quickly followed with a milky ball, immobilising her a good distance away.

Nami turned her attention to Law then, she desperately needed to get him breathing. She placed her head on his chest, held her breath for a moment, and listened to see if he still had a heartbeat. She sighed in relief when she heard it. A faint thump, that sounded just as incredible to her now as it did when she heard it on the floor below. Once again, Nami made sure his airway was clear, tilted his head back, and sealed her mouth around his.

With every breath that Nami forced into Law's lungs she kept her eyes fixed on the marine. A small fire bucket caught her attention as it rolled towards them. There was an indentation in the base, and part of the cylindrical section had crumpled, a sign that it had be struck with quite a force.

'Is that what she hit me with?' Nami wondered to herself. She tried to read the text on the side of the bucket and was suddenly aware that her vision was blurred, and then her attention was brought to the dull throbbing pain in her skull. She moved her eyes back to the marine then while continuing to try to revive Law.

The vile woman was slowly working her way free of her cloudy restraints. One arm was out, and pushing away the substance of the milky ball, rolling it like marshmallow. Her few stray wisps of hair from early had become large messy clumps. Her once perfect green bun was now completely dishevelled.

"I'm am Vice-captain Odharnait, and I won't let you, or the Surgeon of Death get away from me!" The marine shouted to Nami with a deranged expression on her weathered face. The distant sound of sea water gushing over the decks below and the water dripping down the walls, muffled what the marine had shouted. The sound of steel girders bending and breaking, and wood creaking and cracking, didn't help either. Nami could just about hear her over the dying noises of the sinking ship.

'Vice-captain?' Nami wondered. 'Does that mean there is someone of a higher rank on board?'

Nami just started to lower her head, to give Law another breath, when he suddenly brought up some of the water from in his lungs. She smiled as he coughed and spluttered next to her. Nami quickly turned him on his side as his lungs continued to force the sea water out, and he began gasping for air. She pulled Law's coat off her shoulders and placed it next to him, along with his sword.

Vice-captain Odharnait freed herself in that moment and ran towards them, fiercely tackling Nami to the ground. She knocked the wind out of Nami before the two women rolled around on the floor, battling for dominance. The marine over powered Nami, and pinned her down beneath her. She instinctively spat in the pirate's face. Nami quickly tried to wipe it away before it started to burn, and melt her flesh.

Nami was relieved when she felt nothing, then saw that the Vice-captain was completely drenched through. Her ability had been neutralized by the sea water that had now swamped the deck, and that which was in her clothes. Odharnait reached for her gun, but during their grappling it had worked it way free of the holster, and was now lay on the deck out of reach of either of them. A sadistic glint emerged behind her sharp blue eyes as she lifted Nami's head off the floor, then slammed it back against the deck.

Nami bit her tongue as her head hit the floor. The blow added confusion to her pounding head, and sent white fireworks through her already blurred vision. The marine wrapped both her hands around Nami's neck, and began to squeeze tightly. Nami squirmed, trying to throw the woman off her. Her fingers began clawing at the hands around her neck, trying to get the marine to release her grip, but she failed as she had little strength left. A shrill laugh escaped the marine as she stared down at Nami. Her blue eyes were wide with excitement.

"Law." Nami gasped, just above a whisper. There was no way he would have heard her call for aid. The ship creaked loudly around them as the white ceiling above splinted and snapped. The ship was breaking up fast, the weight of the submerged decks was too much for the keel and the hull as it sank.

Vice-captain Odharnait tightened her grip around Nami's neck, and leant over her to use more of her body weight to wring the life out of her. Nami could feel the painful build up of pressure in her head as her vision started to turn black. She wheezed, trying to draw breath. Her lungs were burning for oxygen now, and her neck felt like it might snap from the pressure it was under.

Then, the crazed look in the marines eyes vanished. The sadistic fire that burned behind them was suddenly extinguished, and they glazed over. She quickly released her grip on Nami's neck, then her fingers tentatively found her own.

Nami's eyes were barely able to focus on the woman above her as she painfully gasped for breath. She caught sight of the gleam of a silver blade, dripping with blood as it penetrated the centre of the marines neck. The blade was then slowly retracted, and a tattooed hand appeared on the shoulder of the woman before it pushed her aside.

"Law." Nami choked, her voice was scarcely a whisper. She felt exhausted, too weak to move. She simply blinked up at him, still trying to catch her breath.

He placed his sword on the deck as her bent down to Nami.

"I'm sorry." Law confessed. There was obvious remorse on his face as he looked upon her, blaming himself, though none of it was his fault. His fingers lightly traced the reddened skin around her neck, his brows knitted tighter together as she winced slightly under his touch. "I was disoriented, and too weak from being in the water for so long. I came as fast as I could." He explained. His fingers curling behind the base of her skull, gently lifting her head off the deck.

"It's okay." Nami tried to assure him. The look on his face told her he thought otherwise.

The ceiling above them split even further, and one of the lights blew with a loud bang. Both pirates flinched at the unexpected sound.

"We need to go." Law urged. He grabbed her Clima-Tact then sat Nami up, putting her arm around his shoulders. "Ready?" He asked, but without giving her time to answer he wrapped his left arm around her waist, put both their weapons in that hand, then scooped up her legs and lifted her off the floor.

"I can walk." Nami declared, when in truth she could barely lift her own head at that moment.

"You sure?" Law asked. Nami barely heard him over the sounds of the ship. He seemed quite a distance from her, despite being next to her.

He gently lowered her legs to the ground, letting her leave his arms at her own pace.

Nami nodded, then took her staff from him. She felt sick, dizzy and disoriented, almost as if she'd had too much to drink. She used her Clima-Tact to steady herself, then briefly shut her eyes hoping it would help her fatigue to pass.

* * *

Nami was just calmly standing next to him, her eyes shut, with no sense or urgency.

"Come on, Nami-ya." There was a slight hint of panic in Law's voice as the walls started to come crashing down around them.

He followed the corridor away from the rising water, towards the exit of the brig. Law pushed the door open carefully and had a peek outside. The lights were flickering, though the passage seemed more structurally sound than that of the brig.

His t-shirt was suddenly pulled taut as Nami fisted the garments on his back, and rested her forehead against him. "Wait." She pleaded.

Law cautiously turned round as Nami suddenly burst into tears. He moved one hand to cup her face, while the other rested his sword against the hinges of the door. "Why are you crying, Nami-ya?" He questioned as he then brought his other hand up to rest on her hip.

"I don't know." She wept.

"Look at me." He ordered. Law frowned at her as he put a hand on her back, the knuckles of his other curled beneath her chin, gently tilting her head up so he could look directly in her eyes.

Nami's head rolled a little too far back, but Law quickly moved to catch it. He noticed she squeezed her eyes shut as his fingers gently supported her.

"Look at me, Nami-ya. How do you feel?" He asked her as he removed his hand from the back of her head. "Shit." Law fretted, when he saw his fingers were covered in her blood.

"Tired. Drunk." Nami sobbed.

Law knew that she was concussed, he just had to determine how severe it was. "Do you know where we are?"

She shook her head in reply. The scared yet innocent expression on her face caused him concern. 'She could have retrograde amnesia.' If she did, it might only be mild, 'At least she knows who I am' Law thought to himself.

"Do you remember what happened before we were on this ship?"

Nami looked away from him then, her eyes moving back and forth, searching her memory for the answer. He felt get grow tense for a moment. Her eyes refused to find his again as she nodded her head. Then wasn't the time to admire the slight blush that crept on to her cheeks, but he couldn't help but appreciate it.

Nami jumped past that memory then. "I remember seeing you in the water ..." She explained.

"And after that?" Law prompted.

"I don't know." she admitted. Nami clutched her head, as if trying to remember was causing her pain.

He pulled her against him while he dismantled her Clima-Tact and put it in his coat pocket. Then, he reached behind and grabbed his sword. "Put your arms round me." Law told her, he then pushed the door open, and carried her against his chest.

While Law quickly travelled the corridors with Nami in his arms, the lights flickered around them as the ship roared and buckled. His mind was already at work, thinking ahead and weighing up all the possible outcomes to their current predicament.

Though it never crossed his mind for a second, there was no way he was going to abandon Nami to save himself. Giving her medical care was already his personal priority, and it was logical, no matter which way he thought about.

If they escaped the sinking ship, there was no guarantee that there would be any life boats. She could easily fall unconscious in her current state, and in the open water they would both drown. If there was a life boat, he didn't know how long it'd be before they could expect a rescue, or possibly get arrested again. Nami could slip into a coma and possibly die in that time. He needed to treat her soon.

He ascended the stairs slowly to the quarter deck. He could still hear the faint chatter of the marines, clearly not all of them had abandoned the ship yet. That thought thrilled Law, it meant there was a chance they could steal a life boat. He would have to refrain from using his ability for the moment. He couldn't run the risk of giving them away just yet, and he might have to save his stamina for when it really mattered.

"Nami-ya?" He whispered to her.

She hummed in response to him, lightly trembling in his arms from the cold.

"Are you fully awake?" Law asked.

"Yea." Nami groaned. He knew it was a lie, but at least it was a verbal response.

He headed along the corridor, towards the bridge and the open deck. Law was certain the medical room would be around there, and he wasn't wrong.

He quietly pushed through the door, and flicked the lights on. They buzzed softly before illuminating the white and celadon green room. The infirmary was large, and well stocked. Along the inner wall ran a length of white cupboards at head height, and along the floor. The outer wall had a string of beds, with a window in between each one. Law sat Nami on one of the adjustable beds, then started to raid the cupboards for things he might need.

He grabbed everything from gauze, scissors, and antiseptic solution to tweezers, scalpels, and surgical sutures. Law used his room to open the locked refrigerated stores. He took out phials of anaesthetic, adrenaline, penicillin and morphine, as well as a handful of sterilised syringes. Law threw everything into a white refuse bag, and then doubled bagged it.

"Can you look after this for me?" He asked Nami, trying to rouse her as she'd almost fallen asleep.

She nodded in silence and took the bag from his hand, cradling it at her stomach.

"Nami-ya, it's very important that you don't drop it." He kept his voice calm, but he had a stern look on his face. He wasn't sure if Nami could even grasp their situation properly. She probably had no idea of the danger she was in.

He wrapped the blue blanket around her that was draped over the foot of the bed, then picked her up and exited the room.

Law tentatively stalked the corridor on their way out onto the quarter deck. He listened intensely for any sign of remaining marines. All was quiet and still. Too quiet for his liking. He scanned his eyes over the deck, looking for anyone that might pose as a threat, but there was no one.

He carefully stepped, still checking in all directions for any marines. Half of the ship was now submerged, all that remained of the vessel was what stood behind them. Law quickly walked the gangway in order to look for a lifeboat.

A unnatural howling wind alerted Law. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as adrenaline coursed through him. He quickly took cover against a nearby wall, sheltering Nami from what ever was coming.

He cast his eyes out over the ocean. Gentle waves rolled towards the ship as it created suction during its sinking. There were no cross waves to indicate that the atmosphere was active. He looked down at Nami and not one of the hairs on her head moved, there definitely was no wind.

Law waited for a moment, hoping his ears had deceived him before he began to continue is search. As he got closer to the back of the ship he could see life boats not too far out to sea. He still had time to swap his and Nami's position with whoever was on board one of those skiffs.

"Room" Law uttered. "Sham-" He started, but was interrupted as a powerful gust of wind twirled and slammed him against the handrail. Nami cried out in pain as he crushed her slightly when they fell.

A tall, well built man with lavender hair was standing in front of them. "Trafalgar Law." He smiled. The age lines in his face doubled as he flashed a cruel grin down at the pirates.

Law glared up at him, growling in anger.

"Neither of you are leaving here alive." The marine boasted.

Before Law had a chance to move, another gust of wind sent him crashing backward. The weight of Nami slamming against his chest as he fell winded him to a degree, though not badly at all. At least he had managed to protect her from that fall.

The marine vanished. Law quickly got to his feet. 'Logia' he reasoned. He needed to act fast, he had to find a safe place to hide Nami so he could fight and not have to worry about her getting caught in the cross fire.


	16. Captain Jarek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, and all its characters.

As Law climbed the slope to the stern of the sinking ship, another swirling wind wailed around him, taking his feet from under him, sending him crashing into the deck.

Amidst the howl of the brisk wind he was certain he heard a mocking laugh. He momentarily gritted his teeth as rage began to boil within him, until his attention was drawn away by the red head against his chest.

"Law ... " Nami whimpered. Though he once again managed to protect her from the fall, her voice was laced with pain, and fatigue.

Law rolled to the side, carefully placing Nami on the deck, still cradling her in his arms. His eyes lingering on her facial features, trying to access if her condition had gotten any worse. Her hair was matted, and stuck to the back of her head by congealed blood, signifying that her wound had stopped bleeding.

"Nami-ya." He spoke softly, hiding any anxiety he felt for her well-being.

Her brown eyes slowly opened, the left taking slightly longer due to the swelling of her damaged eye, then finally focusing as she blinked rapidly at him.

"I need you to be alert. Stay awake." He begged while he trailed his thumb affectionately over her bruised cheek. The moon light made the soft tissue around her eye appear black. He hoped it was solely from the blow to the face she received, and not a more serious sign of concussion.

When Nami nodded in understanding Law got up to face their enemy, quickly drawing his sword.

"Room" Law called out, and his vast blue aura spread around them, completely engulfing the submerged ship, and some of the nearby life boats.

Nami sat up then and propped herself against the back of his leg, and snuggled tightly into the blanket she was wrapped in.

Law examined the scene before him. Debris surrounded the ship, it was constantly being dragged towards them, caught in the white foam of the turbulent ocean, unable to escape until the ship vanished beneath the waves.

The late hour and failings lights on board the vessel made it difficult to see. The Heart's captain used his ability and scanned the area to penetrate the darkness.

'Where is he?' Law wondered to himself as he suddenly became very aware of the marines in the nearby lifeboats. He scanned them carefully too, but the man he searched for wasn't amongst them.

'Can he turn himself into the very air we breathe? Is that why I can't see him.'

Law felt confident enough that their foe wasn't in a position to attack, so he moved to take Nami to one of the lifeboats.

With a quick flick of his wrist Law had switched himself and Nami with the two occupants of one of the boats. The marines now back on board the sinking warship looked around in confusion before panicking about going down with the ship.

He slashed his sword at the nearest vessel, bisecting every marine on board. They screamed and shouted in anticipation of pain that they never felt, then cried out again as Law sank their boat. He knew there was no chance for the devil fruit users, and the other marines would surely be too preoccupied with retrieving their sinking limbs as opposed to attacking the boat he planned to leave Nami in.

"Keep watch." He ordered, before switching his position with a bucket that was visible on the deck of the warship, then reduced the diameter of his _room_ to just put Nami outside of his range.

The marines that Law had placed on the ship lunged for him the moment he was back on board. The more nimble of the two quickly swung a sabre at his waist. Law was able to parry the stroke, then immediately cut the man in half. He could feel a slight pull as the blade sliced through the marine's clothes. He had not sharpened Kikoku since their venture to Dressrosa, so it was no wonder that the edge of his nodachi had begun to dull.

The second marine was attacking before both parts of the first had hit the deck. The sturdier man thrust his broadsword straight for Law's heart. The Surgeon of Death extended his weapon before him with both hands, guarding himself with the nodachi's long blade. The metal rang loud as steel dragged against steel, small sparks flared down the blade's edge from the friction, all the way to the hilt. Law gritted his teeth, he knew those sparks where tiny shards from his sword, damaging the blade further. He turned the sword in his hand, taking the pressure of the edge, then pushed the marine back. Law retreated a couple of steps then quickly swung his sword, using his devil fruit ability to decapitate the marine.

Law smiled sadistically while he watched as his opponent's head rolled down the deck, and into the ocean. The marine dropped his broadsword to frantically clutch at his throat and chest as he slowly drowned, unable to do anything about it.

"That's quite an ability you have there." The lavender haired marine acknowledged as he materialised from out of nowhere with a gentle hiss.

Law cursed and swung his sword in an attempt to bisect the man, but the captain used his ability to disappear again.

"No wonder you are nicknamed the Dark Doctor, and the Surgeon of Death." His voice was a eerie whisper carried on the wind.

'Bastard.' Law fumed. 'How am I meant to fight a man I can't see, never mind touch?'

He closed his eyes to listen for any tell tale signs of his opponent. To feel a breeze on his face, or hear a sail flap in the wind. Law could hear the churning ocean and a gentle lap of the waves on the decking. The muffled sound of the ship breaking up beneath the waves, and gentle pops as light bulbs blew.

Law's attention quickly shot to the sky as the atmosphere over his head whistled and then bellowed. A swirling torrent of air picked Law up from off the deck, whorling him high above the ship. Law was taken aback by the man's ability, he was clearly more dangerous than a simple gust of wind.

The deadly tornado howled deafening loud around him, and debris was soon sucked up into the twirling dark funnel. Law watched briefly as his hat flew away from him, his attention taken away as something hit him in the face. The metallic taste of blood filled Law's mouth, causing him to think of Nami. He was suddenly burdened by his concern for her. She needed to be treated as soon as possible, and he was steadily becoming demoralized by his formidable opponent.

Law set all his concentration on getting out of the whirlwind, focusing on bits of debris that had barely been caught in the up draft. He gritted his teeth and snarled in anger as he quickly became dizzy from tracking bits of wood that were spinning around him at different speeds.

A large piece of the gunwale got Law's attention, he used his ability and quickly switched his position with it, then immediately swapped places with another piece of debris as it was dragged towards the cyclone.

"Captain Jarek! Save me!" A marine cried out in pure fear as he was ripped from his lifeboat, and sucked into the storm.

Law quickly tangled himself in the shrouds from the rear mast, ensuring he wouldn't leave the deck again unless he chose to. He quickly looked in the direction of the boat he'd left Nami in. To his relief, it was still afloat, though he could not see her.

The tornado came to a sudden stop, and Captain Jarek appeared before Law with the same cruel smile on his face that he had shown earlier. "Do you surrender?" The lavender haired man chuckled.

Law was about to answer but was interrupted by all the debris that was circling the sky. It came crashing down around them, slamming into the remainder of the ship and splashing into the sea. Law was far enough away to not have to worry about any of it hitting him, or Nami.

"Not now I know which devil fruit you ate." Law declared, suddenly remembering that the marine had a very obvious weakness, albeit one that he shared. "The Kaze Kaze no mi, model Tatsumaki?" He asked with a smile that was quickly taken away.

"Not quite. The Uzu Uzu no mi." The marine divulged before he de-materialized with an audible rush of wind.

"A vortex man!" He hissed.

A gentle breeze whirled around Law as the marine whispered to him. "Did you think you could hide her from me?"

Law quickly untangled himself from the shrouds and ran to the edge of the stern. The extra height above sea level allowed him to see into Nami's boat. She lay beneath the centre thwart, still wrapped in the blue blanket he put around her.

Law's grip on the handrail tightened, his knuckled turned white at the sight of a whirlpool that began to develop in the ocean next to the lifeboat Nami was resting in. The small eddy quickly grew into a swirling current of considerable size.

The Surgeon of Death was momentarily frozen in awe and horror of the maelstrom before him. The moon shone through the clouds. It's reflection was a diffused stream of silver against the inky sea, swallowed by a dark raging mouth, leading to the abyss.

The ocean roared as the vast funnel continued to grow, causing the speed of Nami's boat to increase, and rapidly spin around it. Law had to act quickly before she was swallowed by the sea. He expanded his room to engulf the maelstrom, and ran back to climb the safety of the ship's rigging.

The quarter deck was now completely submerged, all that remained above the sea was the rear mast and the poop deck. He used his ability to slice up what was left of the warship, leaving only the rear mast with its shrouds and ratlines.

Out of the corner of his eye, Law spotted Captain Jarek standing in one of the other nearby life boats, drawn in by the whirlpool's treacherous current. He swung his sword at the man before the marine quickly disappeared. Then, Law displaced everything he could, sending it up into the air, creating havoc. He knew it was a dangerous gamble considering the marines ability, but he needed camouflage so he move Nami to another safe place, and he now had a theory to test.

With a flick of his wrist, Law swapped his position to grab Nami from the life boat. A wall of water churned around them with a thunderous roar. The small boat was shaking violently on the waves, as if itself was terrified of being swallowed by the maelstrom. He grabbed the bucket he left there earlier, and picked up the injured woman from under the centre thwart and switched them with some of the debris he was controlling in the sky above their heads.

Law expanded his _room_ again, and switched their position a couple more times before uprooting a few of marines, and placing Nami in another boat. He remained crouched down as he spoke to her.

"Oi!" Law whispered. Nami looked up, her left eye was almost too swollen now to open. "Don't go to sleep. Remember?" He asked. Through her concussion she could still gauge the threat of their situation in his voice. She nodded her head and leant back against the frame of the boat.

Law returned to his position in the shrouds. He closed his _room_ momentarily, allowing all the debris to fall into the ocean with a multitude of splashes, the quickly created the blue aura again.

"That was unwise" Captain Jarek chided when he saw what remained of the warship.

"You have a formidable ability." Law affirmed through a devilish smile. "But I've seen the cinch in the armour." He revealed.

"It is too late to try and bluff your way out of this, pirate!" The marine jeered. He was standing boldly on board a small life boat, despite Law's words he appeared to have an unwavering resolve.

If Law wasn't so confident in his own assumption then he may have been fooled by the man's bravado. He gripped the ropes tightly in preparation of another attack.

Before Law could fully make himself ready, the wind howled around him. Law closed his eyes, and held on tight. A powerful tornado began to swirl, dragging Law's legs from off the ropes, trying to pull him upwards into the eye of the storm. The smell of the salty sea air filled Law's nostrils as the ocean caught in the up draft lightly sprayed his face. The wind died down then to a gentle breeze, eliciting a triumphant smile from Law.

"I was right. You can't sustain a vortex for long. Over sea, it negates your devil fruit ability."

Captain Jarek returned to his boat and growled, further adding to Law's amusement.

The warship beneath him could no longer stay afloat. Law used his ability to switch his position to one of the lifeboats nearer to Nami. The marines on board were transferred onto the sinking ship. Law watched as they were dragged under the waves by the suction of the warship. The rear mast disappeared amongst a mass of white bubbles.

"Over land, you'd be a formidable opponent." The Surgeon of Death confessed to the marine. "Over the ocean, you are not. If you create a vortex with down draft, it forces you into the ocean, causing you to have too much contact with the seawater. It is the same with up draft, your vortex creates a waterspout, again forcing you to have too much contact." Law knew there was a cocksure glint in his eyes as his smirked at the marine, certain that his victory was coming.

"I still have one assault you have not predicted." Jarek warned, his tone was cold and absolute. He vanished with an expected rush of wind.

With those words Law's heart began pounding in his chest as adrenaline pumped through his system. He felt sick almost, he was so sure this fight was over.

Law tried to look around for the man, but the only light that now remained was the silver moon, which was just enough to glimpse the debris of the devastated marine warship that surrounded his position. He briefly cast his eyes across the water to where Nami was. It looked as though she was leaning over the side of the boat, but he couldn't sure.

"Enjoy your icy grave, Trafalgar." Jarek wailed, and the sky above Law's head roared ferociously. The atmosphere around him began to cool dramatically, freezing Law's shoes the boat he was standing in, forcing him to rub his arms and cradle his chest while his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"A polar vortex. It allows me to draw on the glacial temperatures of the mesosphere, able to freeze the very ocean beneath you!" Jarek's voice sounded from the centre of the vortex. It started almost like the gentle twinkling of bells, and ended like a harsh crack of ice.

Law's nostrils flared as his visible breath came out in irregular short pants. He was no longer able to maintain his _room_ , and it slowly narrowed around him. He could hear the marines hateful laugh on the shrill wind as Jarek intensified his attack.

The ocean creaked loudly as it froze, Law could feel it happening as the boat beneath his feet was solidified in ice. The frigid wind that came down from the upper atmosphere was a visible gale of wintry particles. It was so cold against his cheeks it felt as though the tiny icy crystals where shredding his flesh as it whirled around him.

Through his cold, pain, and clouded mind, Law vaguely became aware of another voice amidst the bitter wind.

"Heat egg!" Nami shouted, and turned one of the batons from her Clima-Tact towards Law, engulfing him in a radiant warmth that prevented him from freezing to death.

Law still felt extremely cold, he knew the chill would be with him for a while, he couldn't stop himself from shivering, but at least he was still alive.

"What did you just do?!" Jarek roared as he rapidly materialised and stormed towards Nami, completely overcome with rage.

"Room!" Law whispered. He quickly switched places with Nami, and curled his fingers. "Mes." Law panted. He stared darkly at the troublesome marine, using his ability to make the stolen organ appear in his hand. Jarek fell to his knees the moment his heart was removed. His eyes were fixed on the small cube while it beat loudly in Law's hand. The Dark Doctor took pleasure in crushing it, watching as pain contorted the marines wrinkled face, while he cried out in agony.

Law strolled towards the edge of the ice shelf. He took one last look at Jarek before he threw his crushed heart into the ocean. The contempt on the marine's face only amused the Surgeon of Death further. He briefly gave thought to performing a vivisection on the man, but the sight of Nami a few meters away reminded him that he didn't have time to indulge in such sadistic pleasures.

Instead, Trafalgar Law slashed his sword at the marine, cutting him into several pieces, and dispersing the parts to different edges of the ice shelf, but leaving his head at the centre. He wanted Jarek to be aware as the ice melted, and his body parts fell into the sea, never to be retrieved.

He carefully walked towards Nami. The ice crunching beneath his feet, signifying that this section of the shelf was going to break off soon. He smiled as he approached. "For someone with a pathetic bounty of sixteen million belli, you're not quite the damsel in distress I thought you were going to be."

"Never underestimate a Strawhat." Nami smiled wearily.

"I guess I should have learnt that by now." Law laughed as he sat down in the boat next to her.

 


	17. A Long Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, and all its characters.

The moment Law sat down next to Nami she unwrapped herself from within the blanket and kindly offered to share it with him. Law took it straight from off her back, causing Nami to groan in annoyance as he put it round himself. He then scooped her up, and sat her on his knee, wrapping his arms around her to cover them both in the blanket.

Law rested his chin on her right shoulder just as a violent shiver ripped through his body, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut, almost as tightly as he clung to Nami for warmth. "Can you do that heat egg again?" Law asked through chattering teeth. He needed to alleviate the chill in his bones from the freezing assault of Captain Jarek.

"It might burn you this time." Nami explained with a cautious tone.

"I don't care. Do it. It's better than getting frost bite." Law unwrapped the blanket from around them as he spoke, and helped Nami to her feet. She dropped the supplies she was holding, and staggered as far as she could within the boat. She then sat down and aimed her heat egg around Law, and only briefly let it drift directly over him, hoping to not burn him.

The ice around the lifeboat quickly melted, releasing the vessel from the possession of the ice shelf. Law got up, ignoring the distant threats and insults that spouted from Captain Jarek's severed head, and gently pushed the boat off with his hand, so they could drift away. He sat back down on the sole of the boat and leant against the side, then adjusted the blanket round his shoulders and beckoned Nami over to him.

Law watched as Nami allowed her weapon to roll away from her, and rest against some of the lifeboat's supplies. "Bring them." He pointed to a couple of thermal blankets that were tightly rolled up in string and placed next to each other. The redhead grimaced, as if extending her arm to grab them was somehow painful, then dragged them with her as she lazily crawled over to him.

The second she was close enough, Law grabbed her, pulling her towards him, and positioning her to sit between his legs. Her heat egg had warmed him sufficiently, but the night air was still cold from Jarek's attack, and he wasn't going to pass up the chance to have her close. Law untied the blankets from their string restraints, and threw them over them both.

Nami immediately settled against him. She gently eased her hips away, sliding along the deck slightly to lower her position, allowing herself to find comfort against his chest. She turned her head to the side, and rested it on her right shoulder, and his.

Law grabbed her chin, and lifted her head up."You can't go to sleep yet, Nami-ya."

She growled in annoyance, and put her head back in the same position, but to the left this time. The Surgeon of Death chuckled as his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back towards him, and forcing her to sit up straight. His laugh soon turned to a groan as his actions caused the woman to rub along the crotch of his jeans, and the small of her back now rested against his manhood.

Now definitely wasn't the time, he told himself. His head rolled backward at the realisation of just how frustrated he was. Law was now suddenly aware of the slow expansion of her chest every time she inhaled, how she smelt, how warm her body was next to his, that her right hand was resting on his thigh … "How are you feeling, Nami-ya? Still feel drunk?" Law asked to change his train of thought.

"Not as much. I still don't feel right. A bit sick, but the dizziness has lessened."

"What about your headache?"

Nami brought her left hand up as she spoke, gently probing the swollen tissue around her left eye. "My eye doesn't hurt too much, but the headache is still there. It's dull, and throbs."

"I can't give you morphine for a head injury. Maybe after I've stitched you up, and I know you are alright, but definitely not yet." Law explained as he moved her left hand so she would stop touching her eye. "You can't create light, can you?"

"Only lightning."

Law turned his head to look out over the ocean. The water was still, perfectly smooth and reflecting the night sky like a mirror. The low moon shone blue on the skin of the motionless sea. It would still be a few hours before it was light. He was relieved that her wound had stopped bleeding, allowing him time to wait until it was bright enough to see so he could tend to Nami properly. He would just need to keep her awake.

"We made quite a good team back there." Law declared, wanting to spark Nami into a conversation, wishing he could see her facial expression.

After a brief silence, she finally spoke. "I know, and just think of all the treasure we could steal with your ability, and my skills."

"That's not quite what I meant, Nami-ya." He laughed. "Is treasure that important to you?" Law craned his neck to the right, trying to see as much of her face as he could.

It seemed as though she felt his movement. "No." Nami moaned, as she turned her face away to the left. She then once again tried to shuffle lower, and get comfortable against Law.

He halted her descent, and pulled her back up against him. Law was careful this time to not cause any friction to his lower body. "You thought I wanted to ransom Caesar." He pointed out, curious as to how she would respond. She certainly didn't get the nickname 'Cat Thief' for no reason.

"Law, I'm not comfy." She whined.

He half expected her to try to change the subject, so he let her have her way since she was wounded. "If we lie down, you have to talk. You still can't go to sleep. Okay?" Nami nodded in approval.

Law rearranged the blankets so they were lying on the blue one from the infirmary, and were covered by the two that were on board the lifeboat. He removed his t-shirt, and balled it up as a makeshift pillow for Nami. He lay down on the left side of his body, urging Nami down next to him with his arm beneath her, and forcing her on her side to keep the pressure off the back of her head.

* * *

As the blue hour before dawn began to creep onto the sky, their small talk came to a stop. It was difficult to keep himself awake, but he still wasn't keen to let her sleep yet, her symptoms of concussion were still quite strong. Law needed to keep her chatting. There were obvious other ways he knew he could keep her awake, more preferable ways, but he wasn't keen on dropping his guard again. There may be other lifeboats afloat nearby, and he didn't plan to get arrested again from being too distracted by her.

His eyes travelled from the back of her head, along the length of her neck to her right shoulder. Law suddenly remembered the faint scar he saw there, and the argument they were having at the time he noticed it. He tugged at the neck of the t-shirt she was wearing to expose the mark. "Do you want to tell me about this?" He asked, softly tracing his fingers over the damaged skin.

"Before I joined, when I was working together with Luffy and Zoro, we fought to save Usopp's village from the Black Cat Pirates." Nami began, slowly. He was grateful that she didn't seem reluctant to tell her tale, not like last time. She then brought her left hand up to cover the mark. "Django threw a blade at Luffy's head, I pushed him away in time, but it caught my shoulder."

Law understood now why she had been so angry when he'd previous asked if Luffy gave it to her. She had gotten herself wounded saving his life, a man she was only in an alliance with. He couldn't help but draw the similarities to their current situation. She had sustained so many wounds since he had woken up on board the Thousand Sunny, after Dressrosa. He felt like she had gotten all of them because of him.

The one on her left forearm was because he couldn't protect her from Kaido's alligator subordinate. Her current two head wounds, he hadn't witnessed her getting them, but they were both obtained during her rescue of him. He didn't know how to respond to her then, so he placed his hand over hers, and gently caressed her skin with his thumb.

"That one I got from saving Usopp." She suddenly began, as she moved her hand away to look at it. Law wasn't even aware that she had a scar there, but she obviously assumed his actions were to prompt her to tell her story. "He was about to get himself killed by Arlong's crew, so I stabbed my hand and pretended to kill him, so he could escape."

"Why didn't this Arlong kill you?" He wondered out loud. Law quickly remembered his conversation with Nico Robin. 'Nami is too guarded. A lot has happened to her, mentally and physically.' The archaeologist's words sounded through his mind. He also wondered then if Nami trusted him now, Nico-ya had warned him about that, too.

They had been through so much together, it was hard to imagine that she didn't.

Law was too lost in his own thoughts that he only just noticed Nami didn't answer him when he asked about Arlong. "Nami-ya!" He half shouted in fear that she'd fallen asleep.

"What?" The redhead moaned as she protected her left ear from his voice.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep." He apologized. "Are all your scars from saving your friends?" He couldn't hide the curious tone to his voice.

Nami stayed quiet again for a moment before answering him. "Not all of them." She whispered, but didn't elaborate.

"Have you got any from protecting Zoro-ya?" Law was very curious about the answer to this question. He hadn't forgotten how the swordsman had regarded him when he heard that Nami was in his infirmary, and not the Strawhat's. There was a deep suspicion from Zoro-ya, and a later display of protectiveness.

"No. He usually saves me." She said quietly.

Law scowled in annoyance. He wasn't too keen on the idea of the swordsman successfully protecting her, especially since he hadn't managed to, yet. He pushed the jealousy to the back of his mind, there was no point in getting himself worked up over her nakama.

Then, Law bravely asked a question he was desperate to know the answer to. "Do you trust me, Nami-ya?"

"Uh-huh." Nami sounded, nodding her head slightly.

Law couldn't help but smile to himself. It did feel like some small victory that he had managed to earn her trust, especially after he'd almost pushed his luck a few times. He was pleased for a couple of reasons. The first, because he'd done something Nico-ya had implied he couldn't. More importantly, he knew first hand that Nami didn't see him as a friend, not anymore, their night on Purpure Island was proof enough. So, having Nami's trust meant that he had somehow managed to break through her defences.

"Oi." Law drawled when she was silent for a short time.

"You talk for a while." The redhead grumbled. "Tell me about Corazon."

"No." He replied flatly. Looking at the sky, which had now become noticeably lighter.

"Was he like a father to you?" She pushed.

"If I start to tell you about him, you will just use the time that I'm talking to go to sleep. You need to talk, not me."

"Fine." Nami was quiet again for a moment before she spoke. "What did you do to get such a dark reputation?"

"Why are you so curious?"

"Now I've gotten to know you, there's no doubt that you're a sadist, but you do have empathy and compassion. So I just wondered."

Empathy and compassion? Law was quite surprised by her reply, amazed that she had even seen those qualities. He knew that he did possess them, but he was quite merciless and apathetic sometimes, too. After how coldly she had responded to him on Punk Hazard, he was shocked that Nami could change her point of view, and be able to see those things within him.

"Don't worry," She interrupted his thoughts. "I don't think you are soft or anything. I don't even suppose you believe in love." She laughed.

"Of course I believe in love!" Law replied.

Nami was so shocked by his answer that she turned around in his arms to look at his face. "It's not some magical power like Blackleg-ya probably thinks. It is just a biochemical state. Through attraction, highly addictive hormones are secreted from the brain. Dopamine is a euphoric hormone, and is responsible for the 'cloud nine' feeling people initially experience. Norepinephile is very similar to adrenaline, so it causes your heart to race. Then there is serotonin, which governs your mood. That's what makes people obsess over their partner, and then feel depressed when they have not seen the object of their affection. It suppresses your appetite too ..."

"Trust the Dark Doctor to turn love into something cold and methodical." Nami jokingly interjected.

"Love is cold and methodical. It's just a way to make people feel secure. It's a natural and involuntary stimulant to aid procreation." Nami just shook her head at his remark, with a smile of disbelief on her lips.

Law moved his hand to cup her cheek, while his eyes searched her face. "Sit up. I'm going to drain all of the fluid around your eye."

"How quickly the conversation changed ..." Nami stated as she sat up with an air of disappointment.

He grabbed the bag of medical supplies and quickly got to work using one of the syringes to drain the blood surrounding Nami's left eye, then he spun Nami around to begin work on the back of her head. He couldn't initially get to the wound, the congealed blood in Nami's hair was so thick and matted. He used the bucket to scoop up some sea water to help slowly untangle it.

Nami sat quietly while Law worked. He was no longer worried about her concussion, she had peeked up significantly. His mind wandered as he tended to her, remembering how not even a week ago he was agonising over why he wanted her.

Law felt he had found his answer, and took comfort in it. Though, he no longer cared why he wanted Nami, all that mattered to him now was that he wanted her. He needed to have her, even if it was just once. He knew their bond was now more than a fleeting attraction. The uneasiness he felt when he heard her scream on board the marine warship was evidence enough, nevermind his seemingly constant concern for her well-being.

He blamed the protectiveness he felt for her on the fact that she was a beautiful woman, and the psychological mechanism for mate preference. Not that he wanted children, at least not yet, but Nami had full lips, large breasts, a tiny waist, and wide hips. All are key indicators for a high fertility level. Also, the way she refused to leave those kids on Punk Hazard showed off a maternal side, a side she may not have even known she had, but it caught his attention. It was a deep seated genetic instinct to want his own genes to survive. So it was natural to desire a woman who was protective of children. That's what he was telling himself, anyway.

"Done." Law said as he discarded the medical equipment from his hands.

Nami's fingers tentatively touched the back of her head, trying to feel her stitches. "Don't mess." He ordered, moving her hand away.

"Can I go to sleep now?" Nami asked as she turned to look at him over her right shoulder.

"Yes, and I don't need to constantly monitor you now, either."

Nami moved to lie down on the deck where she was previously. She rested on her right side this time, possibly because she'd had enough of being on her left for hours, but he wasn't sure. Law watched as she quickly closed her eyes to try and get some rest. He smiled before lying down next to her.

Her eyes quickly opened when Law gently tugged on her waist. "Come here." He requested, smirking as Nami's eyes searched his face suspiciously. "I'm not going to do anything." He assured her.

"You're not?" Nami asked. The smirk on his face was obviously telling her otherwise.

"No. I'm not going to drop my guard again like the other night."

She quizzically raised her left eyebrow, only to immediately drop it when her wounded eye stung through the movement. Nami accepted his word, and slid herself closer to him.

Nami curled up against him, her ear pressed to his chest. Her right hand trapped between her thighs, and her left on Law's hip. His left arm lay beneath her. Bent at the elbow so his forearm was along the top of her spine, with his hand at the nape of her neck. His right arm was cast over her waist.

The moment he felt that she was relaxed and comfortable, he tensed his muscles so she wouldn't be able to to move, and whispered to her, "I'll fuck you when we get back on my ship."

Nami's face went bright red, and she tried to put some distance between them. "Law! I thought you said you were never going to ask me anything like that again?" There was no anger, just a slight nervousness to her voice. Though, Law definitely caught a glimpse of a smile when she spoke, she hid it as quickly as it appeared.

"I did say that." He started, not even bothering to try and hide the grin on his face. "But, I said I wouldn't ask you, and I didn't. I told you what I'm going to do to you." Law couldn't help but laugh as Nami's face turned a deeper shade of red. "And, I said originally, 'if it's really what you want then I won't ask you', but it's not what you really want. Is it?"

"Your such an egotistical ass-" Nami was quickly silenced by Law's lips on hers. Despite her current show of disapproval, she instantly relaxed and closed her lips around his, quickly adding pressure and returning his kiss.

Law shaped his lips to hers, and groaned with need when she parted hers to welcome his tongue. She hummed with approval when Law pushed through her lips, her tongue igniting a primal desire he was desperately trying to ignore.

Heat spread from his mouth, down his throat, then to every inch of his body. He burned and ached with need for her. Law cursed in his mind when her left hand moved from off his hip to waist, then up his chest. Law pushed Nami on to her back and positioned himself between her legs. She moaned again when he rolled his hips against her. He was so hard at that point it was painful.

He couldn't hold back any more, he wanted her too much. He was going to have her right there and then, and he didn't care who caught them!

That thought forced Law to break away from their kiss. He pushed himself off her with an angry groan, trying to steady his breath. Nami blinked at him curiously, awaiting some sort of explanation.

"Sorry, I almost dropped my guard again." Law said as he pulled her back against him, so they could both finally get some sleep.


	18. A Rescue Appears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, and all its characters.

A cold breeze and a pounding headache woke Nami up from her rest. It wasn't a focal pain, just a constant throb from the base of her skull to just above her eyebrows. As she tried to bring her hand up to nurse her sore head, her fingers brushed against the man next to her. Due to her pain when she awoke, she had completely forgotten he was there.

Nami opened her eyes and was greeted by the decorated chest of the Dark Doctor. She tried to back away from him a little, so she could completely take in the sight of him as he lay next to her, but he had a prison tight hold on her, so she couldn't etch away from him.

Her heart skipped a beat at her slight movement, it caused her to notice how he held her while he was sleeping, and how he'd managed to subtly touch her most intimate of parts.

Her head was resting on his left biceps. Law's elbow was bend, his forearm pressed to her back while his hand rested on her ribcage just beneath the arm. His index and middle fingers slightly poked under the fabric of her bikini top, touching the soft skin of her left breast.

Law's right arm rested on her left hip. His hand was inside her dungarees, cupping one of her ass cheeks, with his finger tips lightly pressed against the entrance to her core. Nami felt she had to be sure she wasn't just imagining it, so she moved her hips a little.

Nami gasped when she distinctly felt his finger tips against her. She felt herself swell at the thought of pushing back against them, so they penetrated her slightly, teasing her. She was tempted to do it too, but his hand was resting on top of bikini bottoms, and not beneath them.

Her gasp brought to her attention a slight burning sensation on and around her lips. A friction burn from their hungry kiss last night, or this morning, whenever it was. Still, his unshaven face had wounded her in the most sensual of ways. Nami hoped it wasn't too visible.

Nami felt a bit guilty for the thoughts she was having. Law was sleeping peacefully next to her, and all she could think about was having him inside her. She could hear her own heart beating loudly as a warmth crept through every part of her. To try and quell her thoughts she moved her hips towards him so his fingers were no longer touching her, but that only made things worse. Her breath caught in her throat as her left hip came into contact with Law's hard member.

She wondered if he was waking up, or if it was just one of many instances of nocturnal penile tumescence that men experience nightly. Her mind raced with images of him losing control when he awoke, and fucking her hard against the boat deck. Nami wished and worried that he might.

Despite how much she physically desired him, Nami still wished to deny Law. After what they had been through together, she would only be lying to herself if she didn't acknowledge that she felt an emotional attachment to him now. One which she didn't need, and definitely didn't want. It worried her deeply, so she didn't want to encourage it. She knew it wouldn't be possible once his lips were on hers, she couldn't resist him then, not once he's flooded her senses with his alluring existence.

Nami tilted her head towards his face to check if he was waking up. Law's head was cast back, his stubbly neck completely exposed to Nami, with the majority of his face hidden by the distance between them. He breathed a slow and steady rhythm, so Nami deemed he was still asleep.

She snuggled closer to him for extra warmth. Nami settled with her face close to his neck, and it wasn't long before she couldn't fight the urge to taste his skin. She shifted her head so her lips were pressed just above his collar bone, and waited for any sort of reaction from him, to see if he was really asleep. Law gave no indication that he was awake, so Nami let her tongue slip from between her lips and lightly brush over his olive skin, before closing her mouth against him.

Question after question raced through her mind as she lay in his arms with her lips pressed against him. She really didn't know what she wanted to do. So with a conflicted sigh Nami settled again, and tried to get back to sleep with.

* * *

Amongst the supplies on board the life boat Law found a couple useful items for the three days they had been out at sea. A small cooking stove, and a fishing pole. He used his ability to cut down a fulmar. The plump bird was quite an enjoyable meal, and what parts they couldn't eat, they used as bait to fish with. Nami's Clima-Tact certainly came in handy for supplying them with fresh drinking water, and to warm the atmosphere around them when the nights got a little too cold.

The days passed somewhat quickly, and thankfully the ocean around them remained relatively calm.

Nami had enjoyed Law's company over the last few days. He was a deep and intellectual man, though he often hide the former to keep up the front of his dark reputation. Nami had discovered that he liked to embarrass her, and even more, to make her angry. He openly admitted to enjoying her expression, and that was cause for his actions.

She often found herself feeling a little sad. Despite his teasing, he hadn't tried to kiss her again. Even though she was anxious about what would happen when he did, her spirits were definitely lowered by his lack of affection. It also bothered her how much she didn't mind sleeping in his arms. He had kept a tight hold on her every night. Though it was something she wasn't used to, the foreign presence didn't hinder her ability to sleep.

She was in a rather melancholic mood that morning. Waking up from a happy dream made her reality seem so much more desolate. Nami was surprised when an unfamiliar smile spread across Law's lips. It was very different from his usual cocky and mischievous smirk. "Look." He pointed to draw her attention to the horizon behind her.

She turned to see a small yellow ship in the distance, and her heart instantly started to race. His words from the other night began echoing through her mind. 'I'll fuck you when we are back on my ship.' Nami wondered if the same thought was going through Law's mind.

Nami gathered up her Clima-Tact as the ship approached, trying to ignore the intense butterflies in her stomach. Law put his t-shirt back on for the first time in days, and grabbed his sword and coat. The pair waited in silence until Law's submarine pulled up along side of them.

"Captain!" Penguin and Shachi shouted in unison as they appeared on the upper deck. His crew were transparent in their joy to see him. Their greeting to her was clearly an after thought, though equally as welcoming.

Seeing them made her miss her own crew, desperately. It had been so long since she'd been with them. They were her family, and as much as they irritated her, she loved them an equal amount.

Law used his ability to transport them both to the upper deck of his ship. The moment they appeared the Heart pirates were instantly fawning over him, much as Sanji would towards her. Law asked straight away that Shachi prepare a meal for them both, and explained what their diet had consisted of over the last few days.

The four of them passed through the large water tight door, Nami trailing behind the Heart Pirates, taking in the sight of the familiar ship. The sounds within the hull that had once seemed so alien to her were now slightly comforting. Perhaps it was just a relief to be off that small lifeboat, and not that she had settled in to life on board the submarine.

Both Shachi and Penguin were talking over one and other, trying to telling their captain about why it took them so long to find him. Nami blocked out their babble until Shachi made his way to the kitchen.

"We just lured it to distract the marines, but it attacked the ship and then chased us." Penguin expressed through a mixture of excitement and remorse.

"Wait, you lured a Sea King?" Law asked in disbelief. He stopped walking in favour of asking the question. His eyebrows knitted together in a slight show of anger. "I actually died because of that."

"I'm going to take a shower." Nami interrupted. She was in dire need of one, and thought it better to let Law catch up with his crew in private. Especially since Penguin seemed to be in trouble. Both men nodded at her, and she made her way towards Law's quarters.

"It was Nico Robin's idea." She heard Penguin begin to explain. "She said if we get some blood-"

"Wait! You spoke to Robin?" Nami shouted as she ran back to them both.

"Yes."

"When?" She demanded.

"The day after you were arrested. Apparently it was in the paper, so they called us." Penguin stopped, looking very nervous. "Captain," He started tentatively. "Sanji said to tell you that you're a shitty bastard." He paused for a moment before he continued. "And that he's going kick the shit out of you." He said, nervously repeating the chef's words.

"Is he really?" Law smiled with amusement.

"They got your letter, but are on their way to meet us using Bepo's Vivre Card."

"How is he?" Their captain asked instantly. His eyes grew wide at the mention of his navigator. Concern was apparent in his features, and tone of voice.

"Chopper said he was doing well. He was awake, but still in the infirmary." Penguin explained through an optimistic smile.

Nami once again set off to go and get a shower.

* * *

After a hearty meal, Law took a shower in Bepo's quarters. He was relieved to be back on board his own ship, and soon to be back in his own bed. The prospect of sharing that bed with Nami was an added bonus. He would have her tonight, he was determined. Though, he didn't plan on letting her sleep at all. He had a much needed shave, then set out to find the object of his desire.

He found her in the galley speaking to Penguin about her crew. Law knew she would be anxious to hear any and all that she could about them, so he let her have the time that she needed. He watched for a moment at the doorway, taking in her many different facial expressions. It amused him how her crew could elicit an entire range of emotions from her, even when they weren't present. She was visibly irritated by the mention of Sanji and Luffy, and their antics. To smiling happily at the mention of some of her other crew mates.

Law walked away then to catch up with Shachi and Jean Bart. They couldn't just sit around and wait for the Strawhats to find them, it made more sense to start making their way to Wano Country.

As he made his way to the bridge Law noticed that the sound of his own footsteps against the metal floor of his submarine seemed different. Was it because he was no longer plagued with thoughts of revenge for Corazon? He felt confident. Lighter, somehow. He definitely did feel happier. He brushed it off as a sentiment towards being home, and decided to not search for a deeper meaning to how he was feeling.

His thoughts were broken by the irritating distant cries of Caesar Clown. They suddenly echoed loudly through the hall ways of his submarine. After the peaceful few days he'd had, Caesar's shouts made his ship sound like an insane asylum. He needed to decide what to do with the scientist, and fast. Perhaps he could use him against Big Mom.

* * *

By mid afternoon Law was quite convinced that Nami was hiding from him. She had previously sort solitude on his ship, though today she was constantly in the company of at least one member of his crew. Although her actions might seem immature, Law knew that she wasn't. He knew there must be another reason for why she was never on her own.

She was currently on the bridge with Jean, Penguin and Shachi, and had been for some time. Law decided he would make his move when she made a trip to the bathroom, and that couldn't be too far away now. So he waited patiently until then.

Law didn't have to wait long until Nami made her way to the en suit of his quarters. After a few moments he followed after her. He closed the door behind him, and rested his back against. Law then created his _room_ to touch the threshold of the bathroom, so when Nami entered his quarters she would walk into it, unaware.

She was aware, it was plain on her face as she stepped into the blue aura. She looked uneasy as her eyes found him, the only thing between them was his large bed, but that space could not help her in his _room_.

"You've been hiding from me, Nami-ya." Law said from his place at the door.

"I've been with your crew. How is that hiding?" Nami responded in her usual bold manner.

Law used his ability to appear behind her. "That's exactly my point." He whispered in her ear as he reached around and unzipped her dungarees.

"Law!" She gasped when he slid them from off her shoulder and let them fall to the ground. "I don't want this." Nami said as she turned to face him. "I didn't want what happened in the hotel, either."

"You didn't?" He scoffed. Law knew full well that she wanted him. The way she had looked at him while he was in the bath. She'd kissed him that night, and feverishly, too. He distinctly remembered how she'd welcomed his touch, and writhed against him. He had a clear picture in his mind of her beneath him on that table on Purpure, pulling him down on top of her. Then, there was their kiss on boat. She instantly kissed him back, and moaned when he had rolled them over so he could lie between her legs. Why was she denying what she wanted?

Her words from their night on Purpure sprang to mind. 'You're not my captain.' She had told him, and then claimed that it wasn't just a simple matter of trust for why she was refusing him.

Law had been at his limit since that night. It had taken all the will power he possessed to not take what he wanted while they were in that lifeboat. He'd settled for letting his hands roam her body while she was in his arms. She initially protested in a demure act, but gave up after the first day.

It drove him insane with lust as his fingers coasted the curves of her waist and hips. He'd had to grit his teeth together and take deep breaths as his palm glided over her upper thigh, before finally letting his hands rest on the soft mounds of her body. His frustration was worth enduring as he was able to feel her body's involuntary shudder at his touch. He had heard her sharp intakes of breath. Felt the goosebumps that covered her skin. He took great satisfaction in listening to her heart as it raced while she lay in his arms.

Law shook his head, not bothering to hide how her words had vexed him. He then picked her up and threw her on his bed. He quickly followed after her, and sealed his lips to hers before she could protest.

One of Nami's hands immediately went to the back of his head. Tangling her fingers in his messy midnight hair. Her other hand travelled beneath his yellow t-shirt and clawed at his back. They were definitely not the actions of someone who didn't want him.

He kissed for a few moments before pushing her bikini bottoms to the side, and sliding two fingers inside her. Law cursed himself for being patient, and he stilled his hand, allowing Nami to rock and twirl her hips to claim her own pleasure from him.

He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her right that second, while she wasn't pretending that her body didn't need him. The soft moans her body couldn't retain sent electrified waves of sensation to course down his spine, and coil in his lower abdomen. It was agony. His cock strained against his jeans. His mind and body were both telling him to impale her, but he had still a strong urge to know what she was afraid of.

Law pulled away from their kiss so he could watch Nami as she squirmed vigorously beneath him, and against his motionless fingers. "Tell me again how you don't want this?"

She moaned before she began her breathy reply. "I do, but-" Law cut her off with a single kiss, then slowly trailed his lips down her chin and neck. 'But? I don't want to hear a but.' Law thought to himself, getting lost in his desire, forgetting at once that he actually wanted her answer.

He began to slowly piston his fingers inside her as he lifted the t-shirt that she was wearing, then continued to kiss down her body. He ignored her breasts, but sucked the skin of her waist to leave bruising kisses on her flesh, then continued his descent.

He looked up at her when he positioned himself between her legs and kissed her inner thighs. Nami watched him through hooded eyes, and a deep red blush. Law kept his gaze on her face as he leant in and slowly lapped at her folds while his fingers slid in and out of her.

The red head covered her mouth and hummed with pleasure as his tongue worked against her. "Moan for me, Nami-ya." Law demanded. He used his free hand to reach up and move her hands away from her mouth. He captured one, and laced his fingers together with hers while he continued to nip and lick at her clit.

How could she have said she didn't want him? Her juices coated his fingers lavishly, she was wet from the moment he entered her.

Nami squealed through the hand he couldn't capture when he increased the pressure of his mouth, and curled his fingers inside her to bring her closer to her release. She began grinding herself against him with more urgency then, shuddering through the sensual contact.

When she squeezed her walls around his protruding fingers, Law knew that she was very close to her release. He removed both his mouth and fingers from her body. He felt he cock twitch when she mewled at the loss of contact. He loved that sound from her, and the desperate but angry glare she fired at him. Law smirked as his hand covered his mouth, wiping her juices of his lips, then the beard on his chin, and moved back up her body to hover just about her.

Nami tried to pull him closer, to grind against him and bring herself to completion, but Law wouldn't let her. He pinned her hands above her head and spoke in a low and raspy voice. "Now you know exactly what I've felt like since being in that hotel with you." He paused then to take in her expression. "If you are just intent on teasing me, then I can assure you that you've succeeded."

He gazed into her brown eyes and saw a mixture of emotion. Her dilated pupils paraded her arousal, but he also saw guilt shining through, and what he perceived was possibly sadness or fear.

"Nami-ya, why did you say that you don't want this? You've told me that you trust me. It is very apparent that you are attracted me. The way your body responds to me signifies that you are not a virgin. So do you want to tell me what you are so afraid of?" He asked her with the most affectionate tone he could muster. Still refusing to release his hold on her wrists.

Nami began to softly speak, not looking him in the eye as she did."It's just-"

"Captain!" The pair of them heard from down the corridor. Law growled from hearing his title. Why did everyone seem intent on interrupting him? "Captain!" The man shouted again.

"I'm in here, Shachi." Law spat through gritted teeth, his eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

Nami wriggled and tried to move from beneath him, to hide from Shachi. Law smiled down at her, enjoying the panic on her face. He wasn't going to let her up. He lowered himself on top of her so no sexual part of her body was visible. Law didn't care if his crew saw a flustered beautiful woman beneath him. In fact, it thrilled him. Nami lifted her head and pointed her face down the length of their bodies, away from the door, and in the direction of the bathroom.

Shachi barged in seconds later.

"Speak, or get out." Law ordered when Shachi just stood at the door. His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, but his silence portrayed his shock as he took in the sight of Nami in a compromising position with his captain.

"It's the Strawhats." He stuttered.

"What about them?" Law growled, not even bothering to hide his anger at the intrusion.

"They're on the horizon." Shachi informed him. Then only seconds later the submarine was rocked by a huge wave. A coup de burst projecting their ship, no doubt.

"Naaaammiiii! Tora-oooooo!" They could hear Luffy bellowing.

That voice caused a strong pang in his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to will the sensation away.

"Shut the door behind you, Shachi." He ordered, and his subordinate quickly left the room.

Law turned to look at Nami as he released her hands. He was surprised to see the soft expression on her face as she looked up at him. He realised then that his disappointment to the Strawhat's arrival was very obvious on his face.

"This conversation is far from over." Law informed her through a deep frown.

Nami nodded once, then a brief smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She leant up then, causing his chest to ache further as she lay a soft kiss on his lips.


	19. Keep Hold of Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oda Eiichiro owns One Piece, and all its characters.

Law rolled from on top of Nami. She lay still for a moment and watched him as he stared at his tented jeans, growling. She pulsed and ached, wanting some part of him inside her again. She knew she couldn't possibly imagine how he felt.

Nami sat up, then climbed off the bed to put her dungarees back on. Law didn't look at her once as she got dressed. "Law?" She called to him as she stepped closer. The sinking feeling in her stomach only got worse when he turned his head away from her.

"What?" He replied through laboured breaths.

"Look at me." She asked, tiptoeing a little nearer. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous by how he was acting. It wasn't something she could recall seeing from him before.

"Arrgh!" Law groaned as he lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. Both hands reached up to overlap and rest on his forehead. After a few deep breaths he spoke. "I can't. We have to go up and greet your crew, and I have to get rid of that!" He said, pointing to his obvious arousal. "I can't look at you wandering round half naked."

"Okay." Nami smiled, thankful that he wasn't angry with her. "I'll meet you on deck." She informed him, then went to meet her crew.

* * *

"Nami!" Luffy beamed at her as she stepped onto the lawn deck of the Thousand Sunny. Robin and Zoro stood back as the rest of crew rushed to hug and greet her. The navigator was so overwhelmed by their joy to see her that she almost didn't manage to avoid Sanji's leap to embrace her.

"What happened?" Chopper inquired, pointing to her left eye. He changed to his heavy point so he could have a look at her.

Nami's hand shot up to her cheek bone as she began to explain. "Oh, I got hi-"

"Where is he? That shitty bastard!" Sanji demanded as he picked himself up off the deck, and dusted himself down. "Tell me it's not true, Nami-san!" He said all whiny and deflated as he offered her a newspaper.

"We're in a super~ alliance now!" Franky chimed, banging his fists together above his head.

Nami curiously looked at the front page. " _More than just an alliance._ _"_ She read out loud, then covered her mouth when she saw the picture beneath the title. It looked as though her and Law were kissing.

"Wha-" She started before the atmosphere on deck suddenly became dark and heavy.

"There he is." Zoro grunted as Law stepped on board their ship. His hand moved to rest on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, then his thumb clicked it free of its sheath.

"Zoro. Stop it." Nami fumed. She wasn't worried for Law, she knew he could handle the swordsman without even drawing his own weapon. His ability would be enough to disable him.

"Look at her eye!" Usopp shouted, pointing accusingly from his hiding place behind Zoro.

Nami threw her head back, gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, quickly becoming enraged by their reactions. She spun around to look at Law, and was thankful to see Shachi, Penguin and Jean had followed him on board the Strawhat's ship.

"What happened to the back of your head, Nami?" Chopper asked innocently, but if looks could kill then Nami sent him a blazing glare that could have murdered the reindeer a thousand times.

"You-" Sanji started, before Nami stepped in front of him and cut him off.

She felt her face get even hotter with the reception her crew gave Law. There was no need for them to attack him. She knew they were just worried about her, but he hadn't done anything wrong.

Her emotions boiled over at that point, and she unleashed her wrath on every single one of them who was complaining. Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper all nursed their heads in agony. She hit Luffy out of habit, and felt sorry for it momentarily.

"I saved his life, and he saved mine." Nami seethed. She could feel herself trembling, and her heart thumping in her throat. Tears stung her eyes she was so furious.

"Sorry." The five of them whimpered. Robin watched with a smile, seemingly amused by their immediate remorse.

"What about the paper?" Sanji asked as he lit a cigarette.

"Nothing happened." Nami slowly growled. She handed the newspaper over her shoulder to Law. She was too angry, and didn't want him to see her expression.

"He was hiding our faces from Pekoms and Tamago." She explained. Everyone stared at her with scrutinizing looks. "A long leg guy in an egg, and the lion looking man."

"Ahh." Luffy and Usopp nodded. Pretending to work out who she meant from the strange description. Her captain's memory for faces was awful, and Usopp hadn't met them anyway.

"It said you were on a romantic getaway!" Sanji felt the urge to shout, earning him another blow to the head.

Robin caught Nami's attention then as she covered the smile that was spreading across her face. She tried not to look at the archaeologist as she spoke. Nami knew the other woman was very perceptive.

"We went ashore to send a letter to you, and the marines arrived, so we had to get a room and hide." The navigator explained. Trying to keep her thoughts of what else happened that night from out of the forefront of her mind.

"All I remember is you moaning about wanting to go shopping." Law said apathetically, obviously trying to help cool the situation. The Strawhat's accepted what he said. It was something they knew she would do, after all.

"I'm going to see Bepo." Law announced, then walked off in the direction of their infirmary, his three subordinates followed close behind him.

After a brief discussion about the news article, Nami finally calmed down, and managed to convince her crew that they were not actually kissing in that picture. She was careful to not say that she hadn't kissed Law, because she'd done far more than that. She just defended the incident in the paper. Thankfully, Shachi's had disappeared with Law, otherwise the smirk on his face may have given them away.

* * *

"Mugiwara-ya, we need to talk about this alliance." Law informed her captain as he returned.

All the Strawhats and the Heart pirates went into the galley on the Thousand Sunny. They quickly fanned out to sit round the empty table, and on the bench behind.

Law began a prolonged inquisition about all of Luffy's family connections and surprising allies. After learning of his bond with Shanks, they began talking about the rest of the Yonko.

"Big Mom-" Law began, then her captain quickly interrupted him.

"I'm gonna kick her ass after Fishman Island." Luffy declared.

"And she attacked us off Dressrosa." Sanji added.

"Lay off her for the time being." The Surgeon of Death advised, as he finally took his new hat from off his head and placed it in front of him.

"Why?" The straw hat wearer asked in confusion. The index finger of his dominate hand was buried in his right nostril.

"She is strong enough, and has motive to take out Blackbeard. We don't need to expend the extra effort on him." Law tried to explain, though his words fell on deaf ears.

"I wanna kick all four of the emperor's asses! And definitely his." Luffy shouted as he flicked his booger across the room.

Law groaned. "Well, I'm going to see what I can do to force Big Mom's hand anyway. I'll leave tomorrow to see what I can find out about her."

"Then we'll have to have a 'welcome back banquet' for Nami before you go." The Strawhat captain smiled. He was clearly instantly distracted by the thought of food.

"If you're leaving tomorrow then I'm just going to get all my data off your ship, before I forget." Nami said as she excused herself from the table.

* * *

The Strawhat's navigator was more than a little dejected by the thought of Law leaving so soon. She gotten so used to him and the Heart pirates being around that she knew she was going to miss them.

She made her way on board Law's submarine, looking around as if it was going to be the last time she ever set foot in the vessel. She was hopeful from the talk that Law and Luffy had a moment ago about the future of their alliance, but the agreement between Law and her captain didn't necessarily hold any promises for her. It certainly didn't mean that they would see each other often.

After an extensive look around, she collected all her data from the cartography room and made her way back to the Thousand Sunny.

Nami passed Shachi and Jean on her way back to the ship. The chat about the alliance's future seemed to be over, as most of the pirates had now dispersed from the galley. As she passed the kitchen window she saw Penguin sat next to Robin at the table, paying attention to only her. Usopp sat across from Law, and seemed to be in deep discussion with him, while Zoro and Sanji sat in silence.

Nami made her way straight up to the library. She needed to get changed, but she wanted to file away the data she'd collected on Law's submarine before anything happened to it. That was one of the nice things about being on his ship, she didn't have to worry about her things getting ruined by the crew's recklessness.

As Nami entered the galley to get up to the library she heard Usopp mention Nojiko. He went quiet when he saw her, and Sanji quickly offered her some cake to change the subject. She declined it, and ascended the ladder to the deck above.

She honestly didn't mind Usopp telling Law about her past. Of course it would have been nice if he'd asked first, but at least it would save her the job of doing it.

Nami glanced out of the window while she filed away all her data away. The sun was beginning to set, meaning their banquet would begin soon, so she went to finally get changed.

"I bet your life has been full of misfortune since you allied with us?" The sniper asked Law as she came down the ladder. She laughed to herself at his question. It was definitely true. Then, she continued on to her room.

Nami stripped the second the door was closed. She had been stuck in a bikini for so long now that she opted to wear underwear as a bit of a change. She chose a pair of red lace panties and a matching bra.

As she walked across the room to get to her wardrobe, she was horrified when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Law had placed several small bruises in a trail down her stomach. She would need choose her outfit carefully if she didn't want to answer too many questions about the marks.

"Nami." Robin's voice sounded from behind her. "What are those?" She asked, pointing at Nami's reflection in the mirror.

"I, err-" The navigator began with a slight blush on her cheeks. She got too flustered too quickly and couldn't think straight.

The raven haired woman giggled at her embarrassment. "I know. I saw how he looked at you when we were at the table. And when you left, and came back."

Nami didn't know how to respond. She sat down on her bed, suddenly feeling a bit hopeless and sick with nerves.

"He spoke fondly of you." Robin informed her.

"What did he say?"

"He explained the events of the last week or so, giving a detailed account of what happened after you were arrested." Robin said as she moved to sit in one of the lounge chairs in their room. "Trafalgar-san expressed how grateful he was to you, and about how you really surprised him. He said you are not like the majority of the rumours that circle about you." A warm and genuine smile remained on her lips while she was talking.

"He's nothing like the bad rumours, either." Nami said without thinking. "I don't know what to do." Nami said quietly, fidgeting with her hair where she sat. "What do you think Luffy would say?"

"You know he likes Trafalgar-san. He probably regards him as nakama. I'm sure Luffy would tell you to do what makes you happy."

Nami hummed in contemplation. She knew deep down that Luffy wouldn't hold her back, and he wouldn't hate her for her feelings for Law.

"Talk to Trafalgar-san." Robin suggested after a long pause.

"I will." Nami assured her as she stood up to pick her outfit.

* * *

Law sat on the bench around the main mast as Nami exited her room. The click of her heels on the deck caught his attention. He watched as she marched down the stairs, admiring the slight bounce of her breasts in her blood red tank top. He felt a pull in his groin as his eyes travelled to her hips, swaying like a pendulum in black skinny jeans, hypnotising him.

'She's doing that on purpose.' He thought to himself, suddenly hopeful that her teasing might mean he could have her.

Nami smiled at him as she headed towards him, combing her fingers through her long orange hair. She then climbed the stairs to enter the galley.

Law assumed she was going up to the library again, so he generated his _room_ to meet her up there.

Nami's heart skipped when entered the library to see Law sitting on her desk. His head was lowered, his eyes hidden by the peak of his hat. He had his right foot resting on her chair, which he lowered once she was a couple of steps closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" Nami asked to ease the tension.

"I came to decide whether or not I'm going to kidnap you, and bring you with me tomorrow." Law said with a smirk. He lifted his head and examined her expression. He wanted to see if she'd mind if he did take her, because he was half tempted.

"You're joking, right?" She raised her eyebrows, completely unsure as to whether or not he had said it in jest.

"Maybe, maybe not." His smile only seemed to get bigger at her uncertainty.

"Well, you can't." Nami pouted as she folded her arms across her body, keeping a fair distance away from him.

Law laughed at her. "You know I don't need your permission, right? That's what kidnapping is! And from what I've heard, you're quite good at getting yourself kidnapped."

Nami huffed and glowered at him, causing him to laugh further.

"Come here, it's time to explain yourself." Law informed her as he held out a hand towards her. "And don't tell me it's because I'm not your captain, because that's not an answer." He said as his lips lost their smile.

Nami took his hand and swallowed hard. Her mouth suddenly seemed dry, and she felt a bit sick again.

"I know you're attracted to me." Law stated confidently, pulling her closer to him so he could wrap his arms round her waist, and lace his fingers together on the small of her back. "This afternoon proved that, if nothing else has. You wouldn't have let me kiss you so intimately if you didn't." He gloated then licked his lips. He regarded Nami with such a massively gorgeous grin that she had to instantly take her eyes off him. She felt her cheeks begin to heat up at the thought of what happened earlier.

"I know you care about me, otherwise you would have left me to go down with the marine warship. So what are you so afraid of?" He asked, sweeping her hair behind her ear, his knuckles lightly grazing her cheek, as he moved to tilt her face to meet his gaze. "This isn't just some casual lust for me any more."

Nami moved her face to the side, she couldn't look at him and think coherently. She swallowed again, trying to rid herself of the large lump in her throat. Her right hand found the top of head, pulling her own hair slightly. She didn't know where to start. She didn't even know how to start to get her point across with him getting upset or angry about it.

She felt Law's hand brush up her left arm. "Usopp told me about Bellemere." His fingers moved to her shoulder to trace over the scar she gave herself.

"I was lost ... drowning in failure and despair." Nami hung her head as she spoke. "Everyone had run off to die because I couldn't save them. I hated Arlong so much, I couldn't bear his mark on my skin any more. So I tried to cut it out."

"And Luffy saved you." He stated. After hearing earlier what she had been through, and knowing her hot temperament, Law expected a fierce expression from her, not the brooding one that she wore.

"In so many ways." She looked up briefly to smile at him. It was a sad but hopeful smile, and Law didn't miss the slight tint of pink to the whites of her eyes.

Law was then plagued by the urge to pull her into him and console her. It was a much stronger urge than the last time he felt it, just off the shore of the Green Bit. Again, he refrained, feeling it might be unwanted.

"Is that what you meant when you said I wasn't your captain? Do you feel like you belong to him?" He asked through a deep frown. He could feel his chest getting tighter, and he hated it. 'Does he really mean that much to her?' He wondered to himself.

"Not that I belong him. Just that ... One Piece is your dream, isn't it?" She looked up at him and rested her hands on his hips.

Law hated her blotchy cheeks and watery eyes. If she was visibly this upset about whatever it was, then there wasn't much hope for him, and he knew it then. He nodded for her to continue.

"Well, I'm sure you know that it's my captains, too. So, it really doesn't matter if you are allies or not. When it comes to that dream, you'll be enemies." Nami paused to swallow, and wipe away the tears from her eyes. "You are enemies." She sniffed before she continued again. "When that time comes, who would I be expected to root for. My captain, or the man I love?"

"Wait!" Law laughed in relief. He closed his eyes and shook his head in astonishment. "Is that what you are afraid of, that you might end up falling in love with me?"

"Of course I am. Especially after the other day, with you narrow view on it!" Nami shouted and shoved him away to glare at him. "Stop laughing at me." She fumed when his smile didn't lessen and he continued to chuckle.

"I'm not laughing at you, Nami-ya." Law whispered as he pulled her towards him and captured her lips in pure relief, that was not what he thought was going to come out of her mouth.

"Just because I know what love is, doesn't mean I'm not capable of experiencing it!" He almost laughed as he spoke, earning him a questioning glare from Nami. "It's not a bad thing, Nami-ya." Law practically beamed at her.

"It is. You are not on our crew." Nami said, ruining his mood.

"Not this shit again!" He hissed, grabbing both her shoulders to force her away so her could scowl at her. "We are allies!"

"We're pirates, on two separate crews, whose captains have the same dream. What if one of you has to kill the other, how am I ever going to forgive either of you for that?"

"You're over thinking this, aren't you?" He said wrapping his arms around her again, and placing feathery kisses on her jaw. "I want you, Nami-ya, as my woman."

Nami studied is face then, completely shocked by his declaration. He looked sad and serious as his honest yellow eyes searched her own. The couple of frown lines on his forehead soon faded when he began to speak again.

"One Piece was always my dream, but it was clouded by Doflamingo, and Corazon. Now, with Luffy's help, I avenged Corazon. Just as you avenged Bellemere with his help." He spun Nami around so her back was to him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I know now that I need to live for myself, to take what happiness I want from life. You should, too." He said, resting his head on her shoulder.

She crossed her arms in front of her, so her left hand rested on top of Law's left hand, and the same for the right. Nami stayed silent as she reflected on his words. Her fingers gently brushing over his until she intertwined them together.

"What I'm about to say is the truth. Maybe you'll think I'm only saying this so I can have you, and you won't be far wrong, because no one, including myself, has satisfied me for months." Law revealed.

Nami promptly unlinked their fingers, and spun around in his hold. "Including yourself, honestly?" She asked wide eyed in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Why?" She wondered. He was a gorgeous man, and could surely find many women on every island who were eager for him to bed them.

"Because I want to have you do it." He leered.

"You're talking about finding One Piece as if it's going to happen in the few months. Look at Whitebeard, he was sailing the Grand Line for years and still didn't find it." Law reasoned.

"Hmm." Nami moaned in disagreement. "Maybe he's wasn't actually looking for it. Maybe Shanks, too. He was on Roger's crew after all, so shouldn't he know where it is?"

"You're ruining my argument."

"Sorry."

"Pirates have been looking for One Piece for years, and no one has found it yet. What's happening between us right now, might be over before either me or Luffy is any where near becoming the Pirate King. Then you can hate me to your heart's content. Then again," He said as he squeezed her bum. "It might not." He noted with a warm smile.

Law closed his eyes to take a deep breath before he began speaking again. "The only promise I can make you is that I will try my best to not kill Luffy, when the time comes."

Nami noticed how he didn't take his eyes off her while he spoke. It reassured her that the so called 'sadistic devil' was being honest with her. "Me and you, we could both die tomorrow. The few weeks that we have been in each other's company is surely a testament to that." He chuckled, glad to see that the sadness had left her features.

"No one ever regretted making a bad decision, Nami-ya. They only regret the chances they didn't take."

Nami felt even more confused now. Her head and heart tearing her apart as dozens of different outcomes ran through her mind, coupled with irrational thoughts and fears.

Law realised then why she may have asked him about Corazon a few days ago. The similarities between him and her were so outstanding, they practically mirrored one and other. They had both become pirates at a young age out of desperation. Been on the crew of someone they hated, someone who killed a parental figure. Then, as adults they had both entered into an alliance with Luffy, and needed his help in order to be free.

He knew that she was so grateful to Luffy for what he had done for her that she didn't want to give any one else a chance to sway her loyalty from him, or come between the bond that they shared. He hated it, but it made him want her more.

"You look upset."

"I am upset." He muttered.

Nami cocked her head to the side in the hope that he would explain himself.

"You are a beautiful and incredible woman with some legitimate personal reasons and fears that I don't think I can sway you from." Law gave her a defeated smile as that awful tight sensation in his chest returned.

He let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes. "I know I promised I would never ask you again-"

Nami silenced him with a kiss before he could finish his sentence, and break his promise. He kissed her back slowly. Concentrating on how her full, supple lips felt against his. He was quite sure that this would be the last time he would ever receive her affection, so he wanted to remember.

There kiss was so tender that it brought tears to Nami's eyes.

Law saw them he broke their kiss. It sealed his assumption.

He closed his eyes as he released her, surprised by his own grief. He pushed himself off her desk and stepped away to leave the room.

"If you change your mind," He said as he walked towards the door. "I'll be in your aquarium bar tonight, long after the party. Come and find me, please."


	20. Where It All Started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, and all its characters.

Law left the library with a heavy heart. He lingered in the warm evening air on the upper deck amongst Nami's mikan trees. The sight of them caused him to sigh at the realization of how negatively she'd affected him. The prospect of the future alliance with the Strawhats suddenly seemed rather dull, now.

His stomach growled at the smell of Sanji's cooking from the kitchen below. So, Law used his ability to transport himself back to his ship, to change into something cooler for the long night ahead.

At dinner, Law smiled warmly as Nami was excited to be reunited with Bepo. The pair of navigators had gotten closer than he knew in his time on Dressrosa. He hoped that no matter what happened, she would always greet his crew like that.

Bepo had begged to be allowed to attend the banquet. Trafalgar Law and Chopper both agreed, on the condition that once the party moved to the aquarium bar his navigator went to Law's operatory for an early night. He protested, but complied.

Law and Nami spent the evening apart, not once communicating except in a polite open discussion with everyone. When their eyes met she would quickly look away, so he kept his distance from her to give her some time to think. No matter how hard he tried, he was silently focused on her all night. Knowing where she was, and who she was sat with. It was mentally exhausting for him.

Late in the evening, his heart sank when he heard Luffy shout after her.

"Nami, you can't go, it's still early!" The other captain ordered.

Her navigator screwed up her face at his words. "It's been a rough few days, Luffy. I need to rest." She proclaimed as she left the room.

"I can't believe she's gone to bed this early." Usopp declared in surprise.

"She'd probably drunk, but doesn't want to admit it." The green haired swordsman chimed before taking a gulp of his ale.

Law inhaled slowly, trying to keep his gloomy emotions from being betrayed by his facial expressions. The slight burning in his chest would be hard to hide. He would wait until morning in that room, because he had said that he would, but he didn't expect Nami would come and find him. Defeat washed over him.

* * *

Nami felt it was late enough. She pulled the covers off her, and slid out of bed. She eyes her shoes next to the door for a moment, contemplating their pro's and con's. She knew if she wore them her posture would be more appealing to him, as well as her gait. Though, she didn't really plan on doing enough walking for him to admire her, and they would surely be too loud for this time of night.

She slowly opened her bedroom door, careful not to wake Robin. The elder woman would not have cared either way that Nami was sneaky out, she just did not want to disturb her.

Zoro had an annoying habit of working out in the middle of the night, so Nami poked her head out of the door before she left the safety of her room. She had a quick look around the deck, and peered up to the crow's nest. It didn't look as though any lanterns were lit, so she quietly closed the door behind her, and descended the stairs to the lawn deck.

As her fingers gripped the door handle, a few 'what ifs' ran through her mind, freezing her in place. 'No one ever regretted making a bad decision, Nami-ya. They only regret the chances they didn't take.' A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she remembered his words. 'I should give him a chance, shouldn't I.' She told herself.

Nami was quite sure Bellemere would urge her on, if she was still here. She had faced her pain, and sacrificed everything for love, albeit a different kind of love. She knew it was what Luffy would tell her to do. To not be coward, and do whatever it takes. She was sure.

Nami walked into the aquarium bar where she knew Trafalgar Law would be. She closed the door behind her and lent back against it. She stood there staring, taking in the sight of him before he would leave their ship, for what could possibly be a very long time.

He looked beautiful. There was no other way to describe what was in front of her. He was perched on the edge of the bench. Legs stretched out in front of him, his upper back resting against the seat behind, and his head thrown back over the lip of the cushion. He wore the same hooded full length coat that he'd been wearing on Dressrosa, with his signature jeans and hat. The room was dimly lit, but light refracted through the aquarium causing rainbows to dance across the decorated chest of the Dark Doctor.

At the click of the door closing he opened his eyes to look upon Nami. The corners of his mouth curving into a salacious smirk at the sight of her. Trafalgar Law removed his hat, placing it on the bench next to him. He tilted his head invitingly to the side, and kept his hooded eyes fixed on Nami. Law leant forward and drew up his knees, interlinking his fingers together as his forearms rested on his thighs.

Nami remained at the door. Still battling with her thoughts, unsure if she was going to go through with what she'd come here for. Her mind was still juggling with whether or not it was a good or bad idea. Her body wanted him, desperately urging her that it was a good idea.

Her lips parted in anticipation of what was about to happen between them. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach, but fought to no avail. It forced her to push her knees together, and writhe where she stood. A flush began creeping into her cheeks, and she could feel and hear her heart beating in her chest.

When the orange haired woman made no advance, Law separated his hands, crooked the fingers of his right, and beckoned her to him.

Nami bit her lower lip, watching the upside down 'T' on his index finger waggling before her. She didn't even realise that she had crossed the room until she was stood in front of him, staring down into those lust filled yellow eyes.

Law slowly ran his hand down the back of her left thigh. The sensation ignited her senses, causing all of her attention to be focused him. He stopped behind her knee, then tucked at the joint. His left arm snaked around her waist as he'd pulled her down into his lap. His lips trailed hot kisses up her chest, and throat. Setting her blood ablaze with heady desire. He stopped as he placed a final kiss on her chin, before gazing into her eyes.

Her shins pressed flat against the seat as she straddled him. He'd kept leaning forward as he pulled her towards him, his torso forcing her to lean backwards. She had a hand on his knee behind her for support, and the other arm round his neck, but there was no way to escape his grasp now.

'I don't think I truly knew what lust was until now' Nami thought to herself. She searched his eyes, trying to find something in them that would give her a reason to say no. That was why he stopped, she knew, he was giving her one last chance to back out. She manoeuvred her legs around Law's back, and pulled herself deeper into his hold.

'Why would I want to say no to him?' Nami brazenly thought to herself. His arm around her waist had her pressed down firmly on his lap. Feeling him beneath her, against her core, it only made Nami want him more.

Nami forced Law to sit up straight, then lifted both her arms and rested them on his shoulders. His hands rested on her hips as she softly raked her nails across the back of Law's head. He took a deep breath, and a gratified hum sounded from deep within him. She watched his chest rise and fall as his breaths lightly fanned over her with every pant that left his lips.

She enjoyed his reaction, and the expression on his face as she started to massage the base of his skull. His hooded eyes now closing, lips parting further. Law pushed his head back a little deeper into her caress.

"I should probably warn you, Nami-ya." Law breathed, keeping his eyes shut while he spoke. "If you are not entirely sure, then now is the time to leave. I no longer have the will power to stop myself." He confessed in a low, carnal voice.

Nami was very impressed with his self restraint. He'd been quite pushy with her in the past, but right now he'd barely even touched her, save for those few kisses. Both his hands were resting on her hips, still waiting for permission to go further.

As Nami watched him enjoying her touch her mind began to wonder, thinking about everywhere he might kiss her. All the different ways her might take her. Her body soon became feverish. Hyper aware of all the places his body was touching hers, and painfully aware of everywhere it wasn't.

A yearning heat flared within Nami's abdomen as she felt herself swell by the thought of him inside her. She fisted his hair and his golden eyes shot open to focus on her lips, his pupils dilated with desire. She pulled him towards her, desperate to taste him, and she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, causing him to groan needfully.

Law pushed his mouth roughly against her lips, making her feel hot and weak within seconds. His tongue didn't hesitate for a moment, gliding across hers, a slick heat that sent lightning coursing though her body. A blush flooded her cheeks again, and crept it's way onto her ears.

A needy moan stirred between them. Nami couldn't tell if it was from her or Law, her mind was clouded by how expertly he kissed her. She wasn't surprised by his skill in the slightest. A pang of jealousy suddenly rushed through her at the thought of all the women who'd been lucky enough to experience him.

She pulled away from their kiss then out of anger. His lips chased after hers with an exasperated and hungry sigh, he wasn't ready to lose contact just yet. She needed to see that he wanted her, to drive away that jealousy she'd just felt. There was a smouldering need for Nami in his eyes that did not disappoint her.

His need only heightened hers. Nami threw her arms around his neck to continue their kiss. She needed more of the hot, electric sensations his mouth sent through her body. His tongue twirled around hers before she caught it, and sucked it suggestively. She instinctively started to rotate her hips in lap, searching for some friction that her body craved.

Nami pulled away from his lips, and slowly kissed down his neck, sucking lightly on his Adam's apple before giving it a firm but seductive lick. A groan rumbled in his throat, and he tightened his grip on Nami's hips and rolled her firmly against his erection. The motion caused Nami's body to jolt with pleasure. A sultry moan escaped her lips as her clitoris ground against him and the seam of jeans, sending a wave of hot pleasure coursing through her. She wanted him inside her, right that moment. Nothing seemed more important to her than what her body desired of him.

He claimed her lips again, his hips continuing to buck against her. Nami's mind was blank with need. She knew she was moaning and panting hard through their kiss, but she didn't care. He felt so incredible beneath her, hard and groaning, causing her cheeks to blaze, which only intensified when she realised how wet she had become.

She pulled away from his lips again then, and continued to kiss down his body, dragging his coat off his shoulders as did. She pushed back from him then to take in the sight of him. His body somehow seemed far more defined that it had during their time on the lifeboat.

She ran her hands slowly over his shoulders, then down his muscular arms. Her eyes never leaving his body as her touch travelled back up, then explored is chest and abs. He felt amazing. Smooth, soft skin over his hard, muscularly body. Every contour her fingers brushed over added to her arousal. He was a sight of physical perfection, she thought to herself as she let both her hands roam over the tattoo on his chest.

"Isn't this where it all started, Nami-ya? All because of that poker game." She looked to Law's face then, the triumphant grin that was spread over his lips gave her an idea of what she must look like sat on his lap, biting her lip, and ogling him as her hands explored his body.

Nami couldn't help but wonder then, what it would be like to see that smile every day, knowing that watching her gave him pleasure. To be held often by those arms, to have them wrapped around her in a loving embrace. To feel his warmth and protection. To know, and to feel as desired as she did right now … as powerful as she did right now.

She thought about how great it would feel if she was with him, if she was his. Then she suddenly remembered why she didn't want to do this, why tomorrow would be so hard. She could never really be his, could she? And he would never truly be hers. It would be too dangerous.

Law quickly cupped her face and kissed her affectionately, as if he had heard all the thoughts going round in her mind. She knew her expression gave her away as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He trailed one hand up her spine to have his thumb draw circles on the back of neck, slowly reigniting the fire within her that she had dulled with her melancholic thoughts.

Their kiss soon turned passionate again. He had neglected her body for too long now, so she removed his hands and placed them on her breasts. He kneaded them roughly as his self control shattered, he clearly wanted to touch her as much as she yearned for him to.

He softened the grip of his hands to brush his thumbs over her already hard nipples, causing a strong pulse to erupt between her legs. He gently squeezing them again before pulling away from her lips briefly so he could lift her top over her head.

Law smiled at the few small love bites he had left on her body before he give his full attention to her breasts. He licked her right nipple through the lace of her bra, his hand continuing to pleasure her left, sending intoxicating shocks through her nervous system. Her entire body shuddered when he sucked the hard bud into his month, then bit down on it. Nami whimpered, and rolled her hips into him.

She looked down at Law as she felt the pressure of his mouth lessen. He was smiling victoriously at her, very pleased with the reaction he'd gotten from her. Nami decided she needed to do the same to him. Besides his obvious erection, his hid his arousal quite well, and she wanted to see him in that state.

She kissed down his chest and abs as she descended from of his lap. Law's hands grabbed her ass to try and stop her from moving, but he soon released her when she ran her fingers under the waist line of his jeans. Kneeling on the floor in front of him, she slowly undid his buttons. He groaned like a feral cat as she released his erection. His dark golden eyes burned with such desire that they made him look dangerous. Like a hungry animal staring at it prey.

Nami felt a tremor rush through him as she wrapped her fingers around him, luxuriating in her touch. His rough, approving growl urged her fingers down his length, and she began to stroke him slowly. Her heart rate increased when she heard the harsh sounds of his breathing.

He swallowed visibly as he continued to aim his searing gaze down at Nami. She loved the sight of his throat muscles working hard as he tried to control himself. She felt his throbbing member twitch as she brought her mouth close to kiss that part of him.

Nami grazed her lips against his length then slowly lapped at his velvet tip, watching his eyes shut briefly as he clenched his teeth before returning to watch her. She placed her lips around the head of his cock, then rotated her tongue sinfully around the tip of him.

"Fuck!" Law growled with primal need. He threw his head back in pleasure, trying desperately to not to thrust himself too vigorously into her mouth.

Her eyes flicked up, relishing in the sight of his head thrown back. All the tendons in his neck were stretched taut, the muscles in his chest and abs were strained with tension. Nami was overcome with the urge to devour him, to make him surge with blinding pleasure. She steadied him with her right hand, then hollowed her cheeks and slid her mouth down his length.

His eyes found hers. They were filled with passion and need. Law clearly wanted to watch her sucking his cock, just as much Nami wanted to see his reaction to it. He combed her orange hair out of her face with his fingers, stilling his hand at the back of her head.

Nami moved to put her left hand on his chest while she sucked on his length. She could feel his heart racing. His breathing turned to ragged pants and colour flushed his checks. She loved the sight of him, and the sound of the groans she wrenched from deep within him. A thought crossed her mind then, something a little sadistic she imagined he might enjoy.

She took the head of his penis into her mouth, then gently began to bite down on his length, dragging her nails down his chest and abs. His breath caught in his throat, and his cock twitched in her mouth. When she released the pressure her teeth were applying Law threw his head back again, trying to steady his breath as Nami trailed her tongue down to the base, then back up to his tip.

His blistering gaze was soon back on Nami. She briefly halted her movements, staring into his eyes as she did, burning up with lust. She twirled her tongue around his tip while her hand worked his length, giving a slight twist as she got to the top. She brought her left hand down to massage his balls through his jeans.

Nami was pleased with how he reacted. His arousal intensified hers. She was beyond delaying her own pleasure now, she needed him. The throbbing ache from the emptiness between her legs was becoming unbearable.

Law's hand pushed on the back of Nami's head then, encouraging her to take him in her mouth completely. She pushed his hand away and trailed her lips back up his length, tasting a bead of thick moisture as she got to his tip.

"Don't stop." Law groaned in a needy, husky voice when Nami released him from her mouth.

"Why?" Nami asked him with a sultry smirk, then licked her lips.

His heaving chest and hooded eyes told her he really needed her mouth around his length, but Nami obliged him with her palm instead.

"I told you before. No one, including myself, has satisfied me for months." He said through ragged pants, thrusting into her hand. "I might disappoint you if you don't finish what you've started." Again, he put his hand on her head, urging her to take him into her mouth.

She rolled her index finger over his velvet tip, smearing another bead of his evident desire across the digit. Nami stared into his eyes, watching his anguished expression as she licked the tip of her finger, and let it pull at her bottom lip.

The sight of his cheeks flushed red caused a wave of heat to swirl through her. She loved seeing him like this. His obvious arousal made her want to tease him more, but she didn't. She could tell he was just about to protest, so she wrapped her mouth around his length, causing Law to curse as he moved her hair from her face.

She elicited low grunts and more curses from him as she increased the speed her tongue laving against the underside of his length, curving upwards around his head, and flicking over his frenulum.

Nami decided that the taste of his abstinence was a little too potent for her, so she pointed to a nearby tankard, left behind from the party earlier.

"Room" Nami heard him call out through shaky breaths, then the vessel suddenly appeared in his hand.

She felt his body begin to tremble, so she gave a firm but gentle pull on his balls to help him to completion. Law pulled on her hair for Nami released him from her mouth, and she quickly grabbed the tankard to catch his seed. She continued to stroke him as he moaned out the last of his orgasm, and began to steady his breathing, his hands still tangled in her hair.

Nami was surprised by how much she had milked from him, grateful that she didn't opt to swallow his seed. "Be careful not to drink that." She laughed as she lifted the tankard in the air.

Law smiled and shook his head at her before using his ability to put the vessel far out of arms reach.

Their moment of light relief was short lived as Law tucked himself back into his jeans, and grabbed his coat from the seat behind him. He lay it out flat on the floor next to Nami, then sat down. Law roughly claimed her lips as he turned her to lay her down on his coat.

His lips placed soft kisses on her abdomen, then her breasts, then slowly up her neck to her ear. "You are beautiful, Nami." Law whispered to her before nipping her ear, sending electricity down her spine. She really was beyond her limit now, and needed him inside her.

She moaned as she looked into his eyes and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down to lay on top of her, so his body was touching hers. Why had she held herself back? She wondered. She could have had days of sensual pleasure from him, instead of just one night.

Law sealed his lips to hers, his tongue quickly darting into her mouth to taste her again. Both arms snaked behind her when she arched her back to press more of herself against him. He unfastened her bra and quickly pulled her free of it, casting the item somewhere behind him. His hands found her breasts, eagerly kneading them until he trailed one down her body in a feather light touch to the waist line of her black jeans. He pulled away from their kiss to make fast work of stripping her free of all her remaining garments.

Biting her lower lip, she fidgeted as he placed his hands on her knees, forcing them apart so his smouldering eyes could take in the sight of her naked body before him. Nami loved the harsh rise and fall of his chest. She leant up and reached out to push his jeans down his narrow hips, to expose him completely to her eyes.

Law kicked his legs free of the denim then pushed Nami back to floor. He nipped at her hips and waist while his fingers teased her folds. Her blood felt blazing hot as she bucked against him, wanting him inside her. A moan tore from her lips when he pressed his thumb to her clit, burning her up further. Nami quickly covered her mouth to muffle her cries.

"I want to hear you." Law chuckled and pulled her hand away as he plunged a single finger deep inside her. Nami groaned softly, still trying to be quiet. "What did I just say?" Law said in a disapproving tone.

"But, Zoro..." She began breathlessly, quickly losing her train of thoughts as Law's finger curled inside her to press against her most sensitive spot.

A sharp pain spread through her breast then as Law grabbed her roughly. "I am not Zoro!" He growled, glaring down at her.

Nami returned his angry stare, furious at his hasty assumption. "... he works out in the middle of the night." She continued through gritted teeth. "He might hear us." The fiery redhead snarled.

His glare instantly vanished and a hint of remorse crept onto his face. He kissed her breast softly as a way of apology, then moved to suck at the silky skin of her waist, his finger sliding in out of her.

"Law, please." She whimpered. She couldn't take any more of his teasing. She needed him now.

"Please, what?" He whispered as he smirked against her skin, momentarily letting his thumb roll over her bud of sensitive nerves, chuckling at her gasp. He trailed blazing kisses up her chest, and stopped to suckle and nip at her neck.

Nami squirmed beneath him. "I want you inside me." She complained, screwing her eyes shut. She was almost in pain now, his teasing was so agonizing.

"I am inside you." He whispered. She mewled as his seductively low voice fanned over her ear in a hot breath.

He added another finger for her pleasure, but Nami had had enough of his teasing then. She growled and reached between them, wrapping her fingers around his hard length, to guide him towards her.

With a salacious smirk Law finally gave in to her needs. Nami moaned at the loss of contact when he removed his fingers to take a hold of himself. He nudged himself against her, then traced the head of his pulsing length over her folds, tormenting her further, and himself.

"Law!" Nami groaned in desperation. Then, he pushed into her slowly, a sigh of pleasure leaving them both as he did. Nami braced herself by putting her hands on his shoulders. She could feel him slowly stretching her, but he felt good inside her.

He was still for a few moments, giving her time to adjust to size, but Nami had already grown too impatient, and rolled her hips, eager for him to move.

He pulled out of her, but not completely, then pushed back in. Nami's felt like she was on fire. He felt so incredible. She threw her head and moaned softly. Law's lips found her neck then. He kissed, licked and nipped at her skin, while he slowly slid in and out of her, still intent on tormenting her.

Nami raked her nails down his back, as her hips matched the slow rhythm of his thrusts. His body jolted and he hissed against her skin, seemingly liking the pain she's just caused him. Nami was surprised when he pushed himself away from her, and pulled himself out of her. Nami ached with emptiness.

"What are you doing?" Nami complained. Her arms immediately reaching out for him to pull him in close again, and force him inside her.

He grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. "You'll send me over the edge if you do that." Law informed her. He kissed her lips and quickly thrust back into her. 'He really is intent on tormenting me.' Nami thought to herself. Perhaps it was his way of paying her back for how frustrated he had been.

Law swallowed the moan that tried to escape Nami's mouth, muffling sound, as he repeatedly buried himself deep inside her. Someone would have definitely heard that moan if his lips were not on hers.

She struggled against his hold on her, growling at him when he didn't release her. "I want to touch you." she said breathlessly, wiggling her hips and pressing him further inside her. He shifted his weight onto his left elbow, and trailed his right hand down her body.

"Actually, you can stop that too." Law told her as he put pressure on her hip to still her movements.

"What?" Nami asked, completely confused by what he was asking.

"I want you to keep still." he informed her. He dragged his right hand up her body, and gave her breast a rough squeeze, then pinched her nipple. Liquid fire raged through her body, and she couldn't stifle the a moan.

"Ah!" Nami screamed, then squirmed around his cock, which only added to the pleasure surging through her body. "I don't think I can." she said, wiggling her hips, grinding down on his length.

His right hand moved to her hip again, halting her movements. "You're going to have an orgasm because I've fucked it out of you, and not because you've assisted in any way."

He looked down into her eyes with a raging fire behind his retina's. His expression was serious, not even a hint of a smirk. 'Domineering bastard!' Nami thought to herself, but it only turned her on more. The idea of this strong, commanding, and gorgeous man wanting to completely manipulate her body, as if she belonged to him ... it was empowering.

She let out a sigh, he'd stilled his movements for too long now and body ached and burned for him. "Fine" she whispered, shakily.

Law used his ability to grab his hat from off the bench. "And don't even think about trying to hide your face from me. I want to see you." He said as he placed the hat under Nami's hips to elevate her a few inches off the ground. He quickly took her wrists again, and continued to pin her down, passionately kissing her lips, face and neck as he pounded into her. Her mind went blank, she could think of nothing save for the man on top of her. His body worshipping hers so amorously, making her feel divine.

He teased her relentless until he was almost at his limit. Then began to thrust into her faster, and harder. "Let me touch you" she pleaded as her climax approached. She wanted to him closer to her, to be able to hold him tight as she reached her limit. "Please!" She begged when he failed to release her.

He let go of her wrists then and her arms were round him in a second. One hand went straight to the back of his head. Her nails grazing his scalp as she tangled her fingers in his midnight blue hair. Her hand was flat on his muscular back, pulling him down, closer to her as she wrapped her legs around him.

She arched her back as her orgasm erupted hard around him, her body shaking uncontrollably with ecstasy. Nami could see the lightning pleasure that surged through her as white spots flashed behind her eyes. Her body convulsing sending waves of sheer pleasure crashing through her, energizing every inch of her. Everything was purged from her mind save for how amazing he was making her feel.

Her body moved instinctively to ride out her climax, to continue to hungrily try and claim more pleasure from him. He didn't protest, having accomplished what he wanted to do to her.

The ebb of her pleasurable waves started to drain her. Almost all her physical strength was gone, and her mind dazed. Law's mouth found her neck, and he sucked against her flesh, hard. "No!" She cried out. His hand quickly found her lips and covered them, to silence her.

"We don't want Zoro-ya to hear us." He growled against her, then continued to leave his mark upon her skin, while urgently pounded into her. Nami dragged her nails down his back, and used what little strength she had left to tightened herself around his cock. She felt his muscles tense then, and his rhythm falter. His lips left her neck as he squeezed his eyes shut, and grunted in ecstasy. His hot breathing fanning against her skin in short pants.

He licked and kissed the mark he had just left on her neck. His actions seemed apologetic, but the smirk on his face betrayed that he wasn't sorry in the slightest. Law slumped against, exuberant yet exhausted, resting the side of his head against her chest while he caught his breath.

Nami's left arm cradled his head, her fingers mindlessly mussing is dark blue hair. Her right arm rested on his shoulder as she looked down at him as he lay completely spent between her legs. She admired the mound of his ass, and enjoyed the way his sweat glistened on his skin in the light of the aquarium.

After a long blissful moment Nami finally spoke. "I should probably go to bed." She informed him. Tapping him so he would move from on top of her.

"Can I come?" He asked lazily.

"No! I share a room with Robin." Nami half shouted, feeling a little scandalized.

"Okay." Law whispered as he generated his _room_.

The next thing Nami knew, they were both lay on his bed, in his quarters on board his ship.

"You can stay here with me." He said as he rolled on to his side, dragging Nami with him.

"No I can't!"

"This is my bed, and my ship. If I say you can stay here, then you can." Law pulled at her leg, behind the knee, dragging her limb to rest high on his waist. "I can't actually promise you'll get any sleep though." He said as he slid himself inside her again.


	21. So Much More Than Just An Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, and all its amazing characters.

**Chapter XXI: So Much More Than Just An Alliance**

Trafalgar Law lay on his back, still feeling slightly sticky from the pleasurable activities he'd engaged in that evening. Nami was asleep, resting on top of him. After she had brought them both to their most recent pinnacle, she draped over him, completely exhausted. Law manoeuvred her to her current position and she quickly dozed off.

He had tried to get some sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he felt his body stir, eager to be inside her again. He couldn't stop the smirk that spread over his lips due to the image in his head. As though it was burned to the back of his eye lids, all Law could see was Nami on top of him, straddling him. Her arms raised above her head, fingers tangled in her hair as she raked it back, exposing the look of ecstasy of her face while she brazenly rode him to completion at a frenzied pace. The sheen of moisture that covered her skin made the image infinitely more erotic.

He definitely wanted her, and not just for her body. She wasn't strong, but she was resourceful, and crafty. He wouldn't need to worry for her safety if anyone got the idea to use her as leverage against him. Even if her crew could protect her, the last couple of weeks he had spent with Nami proved she was more than capable of looking after herself. She had been a pirate longer than the majority of her crew, as well. She could handle herself, and him.

Law turned his head to look out of the window, still determined to let her have a little more sleep. "Shit." He cursed, a little too loud when he saw the night sky brightening.

"Mmmm." Nami stirred. She lifted her head and slowly blinked her eyes open.

"It's starting to get light." Law said in a low voice.

Nami shifted her weight to slide off him. She kept her body moulded against his right side, and propped her head up. She slowly traced her fingers over his chest tattoo, seemingly lost in thought.

A gratified smile spread over Law's lips as he watched her. She acted just how he imagined she would. He put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. He kept his right in her hair, and slowly caressed her cheek with his left. Planting long, soft kisses over her lips.

"Don't kiss me like that" Nami complained with a sad expression.

"Why?"

"Because!"

"You're my woman, it's like I'm saying goodbye." He smiled, hoping to brighten her mood.

"I'm not your woman. When did I agree to that?" Her cheeks quickly tinting pink while she spoke.

Law rolled Nami on her back, following her with his body so he lay at her side. "Look." He pointed to mass of passionate bruises that adorned her hips and waist. "You're decorated with the same print that is on my hat. I think that proves you are mine." Law said before kissing her through a massive smile.

She kissed him back for a few moments before pushing him away to inspect his work. Law laughed at her outraged expression when she noticed that the marks got larger the lower on her waist he had placed them. Nami lightly slapped his shoulder, and looked as though she was about to protest, so he claimed her lips again to silence her.

"You've made this worse." Law whispered when he broke their kiss. "With your worrying, and everything that you said last night, you've just given me more reasons to want you."

"What! Why, because I'm worried?"

"I am flattered that you're overly worried, perhaps borderline irrational about the whole situation." he explained. His head was cocked to the side, as he stroked the side of her face. "But no, I want you because you're loyal. I already knew you were, I just didn't know to what extent. I know now that main reason you've kept your distance from me is because you are loyal to Luffy, and you will not allow that to be changed. As much as that pisses me off, it makes me want you even more."

"You want me because I'm loyal to another man, and refuse to give in to you?" Nami asked with an incredulous stare.

"You kind of already have given into me." He said with smile as his eyes trailed down her body, rather pleased with himself.

Nami blushed, and raised her hands to cover his eyes.

"I don't want to take you away from your crew." Law began as he moved her hands to look her in the eye. He knew if he was actually going to get her, he'd need to give her damn good reason as to why one night wasn't enough for him. "And, I have no intention of driving a wedge between you and Mugiwara-ya, either."

Law drew hope as her movements stilled, and from her wide eyed expression as she looked up at him. As much as he would rather not be, he knew now was the time to be brutally honest with her.

"You're not like any one I've met before. You are infuriating, temperamental, insubordinate, and all those things make me want to force you to submit it me. You are provocative, in every damn sense of the word! Besides those _qualities_ you're intuitive, brilliant, altruistic, and you completely define the word sexy. I know that if you were my woman, I'd never have to worry about anyone taking you away from me. You're very loyal. Usopp told me about how you struggled on your own for ten years to save your village, despite thinking that all the villagers hated you because you joined Arlong. He said they closed their doors to you, to hurt you so you would abandon them, but you never did. And those goddam kids on Punk Hazard! When your heart decides on something or someone, you never give up on that. That's just one of the many reasons that I want you."

"That reminds me." Law said as he got up to kneel next to her. "Give me your left arm." He ordered while activating his _room_.

He saw confusion on Nami's face, and grabbed her left hand when she failed to move. "Here." He said as he slipped a piece of gold jewellery over her fingers.

"Nojiko's bangle!" She shouted with an elated expression. "I thought I'd lost it. Why do you have it?" She asked with a questioning glare.

"Remind me again which of us is the notorious thief?" He jeered as he lay down next to her again. Nami huffed in response, but rolled on her side to face him again, and pressed her lips to his shoulder. "I removed it when I treated your arm. With everything that's happened, I completely forgot to return it to you." He explained honestly.

"Thanks." She mouthed against his skin.

Law peered out of the window again. The blue hour was almost over as the dawn crept closer.

"Do I need to give you any hormones before you go?" He asked as he pushed Nami back and rolled on top of her.

"Hormones?" She asked, a little confused as she watched him suck two fingers.

"Yes" He smirked. Law slid his hand between her thighs to insert his lubricated digits inside her. "We don't want any accidents." The colour of embarrassment on her cheeks excited him.

"No." She whimpered as her cheeks flushed darker at his movements. "I get regular injections from Chopper."

"Really." Law said as he froze his hand in favour of a raising an eyebrow. That knowledge didn't sit too well with him. "Why?"

"It's like you said, I'm good at getting kidnapped. We're pirates, so it seems like a good precaution." Her explanation satisfied him.

"Are you sore?" He inquired, lightly placing feathery kisses along her jaw.

"No." She breathed, much to his delight.

His lips curled into a salacious smirk and he kissed her hungrily then, wanting her immediately. The sun was rising, and their time together was quickly coming to end.

* * *

Law watched as Nami slowly dressed, quite sure that she was putting on a bit of a show for him. Once she was fully clothed, he slipped his jeans on to escort her off his ship, and say good bye.

"Go get my T-shirt." He told her when they reached the lawn deck of the Thousand Sunny.

"Do you not want me to it wash first?"

Her sad expression made him think that maybe she wanted to keep it a while longer as insurance.

Law cupped her face and kissed her affectionately. Nami hooked her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans as she returned his kiss.

"Tora-o!" Luffy hollered to him. He felt Nami freeze at the sound of her captain's voice, rousing a tinge of irritation in him.

Law took his eyes off Nami and looked up at Luffy. "Mugiwara-ya?"

"Don't get too brave." The Strawhat captain warned. He had a serious expression, one Law had only seen when Luffy was in the midst of battle.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, trying to keep the hostility out of his voice, though he couldn't hide the glare he fired at the younger man.

"We are friends, Tora-o, but if you make my navigator cry I will kick your ass!" Luffy said with a toothy smile.

"Okay." He snorted, his expression instantly softened.

"You're leaving now, right? I'll get everyone so they can say goodbye."

Luffy happily climbed the stairs up to the galley. Law hoped he would be distracted by the prospect of breakfast, and forget to muster his crew.

"I'll see you soon." He said, returning his attention to Nami, and softly kissing her goodbye.

She said nothing, just gazed up at him for reassurance.

"We'll see each other before all your bruises have vanished." He said lifting her top slightly to run his hand over the soft, heavily marked skin of her waist. "I'll need to top them up." He smiled as he stepped away from her, admiring the sight of the blush on her cheeks.

His eye's met Sanji's then, and the most triumphant smile spread across Law's face. The cook was openly fuming with jealousy.

Both crews soon emerged on deck to say a brief farewell to one and other, even Bepo managed to hobble up from the infirmary to see them off.

As the Heart Pirates cast off, Luffy, Usopp, Franky and Chopper waved frantically to them, shouting their goodbyes many times. Sanji vanished, which was unsurprising. Brook and the samurai watched them depart as they ceremoniously drank tea, while Robin and Zoro silently looked on.

Nami made her way up to her mikan trees and watched from there. It bought a soft smile to his lips that she sought solitude in order to watch him leave. Despite the rest of her crew starring at him, their farewell still seemed private.

He would definitely endure the crazy antics of the Strawhat crew, regardless of how much they irritated or embarrassed him. Her whole crew was bizarre, they certainly had some strange qualities for a bunch of pirates. Maybe that's why their alliance would work, Law thought to himself, because the Strawhats have heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, guys. Thanks for reading :)


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